


Perihelion

by Missicle



Series: Love Amidst the Stars [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Barebacking, Blow Jobs, Coming Out, Confrontations, Dirty Talk, Drama, Established Relationship, Groping, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Love, Love Triangles, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Violence, Moving In Together, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Public Sex, Relationship Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-03 16:29:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 116,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11536065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missicle/pseuds/Missicle
Summary: Hinata Shōyō’s life ended three days before his second year of high school was over.





	1. The End of the World

**Author's Note:**

> **per·i·he·li·on  
> **  
>  ˌperəˈhēlēən/  
> (noun) the point in the orbit of a celestial body at which it is closest to the sun.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ***This is the third fic in a series of mine; the first was **Solar Flare** and the second is **The Sun and Moon in Tokyo**. I _do_ recommend reading the other two first, as there will be references to things that happened in previous stories. It's only a recommendation though :) ***

Hinata Shōyō’s life ended three days before his second year of high school was over. Or, perhaps it might be more accurate to say that Hinata Shōyō’s life  _ as he knew  _ it ended then, on that fateful day that his parents attended an end-of-the year conference to discuss how their son had done during that academic year.

Hinata’s guidance counselor, Mr. Matsuki, was a simple man. He looked at the facts and figures when it came to the students he oversaw (those whose family names began with G, H, I, J, or K) and had frank discussions with those whose grades were falling. When the time came to discuss future plans with third years, he was reasonable and told students what he thought realistic goals for them could be. Hinata Shōyō was almost a third year, but the difference between his grades in his first year and his second year were nothing short of miraculous.

“Mr. & Mrs. Hinata, let me just begin by saying, I think we can all agree that your son is no genius academically speaking”, he began as he flipped through Shōyō’s chart. Shōyō’s mom frowned and nodded in agreement, while his father sat steel-faced. If his son were present, he may have minded the guidance counselor speaking so bluntly, but the young redhead was at volleyball practice, so the elder Hinata felt no need to refute the facts. “However”, continued Mr. Matsuki, “thanks to your son’s boyfriend, his grades could not be more different than they were last year. In fact, Tsukishi--” “Excuse me,  _ what did you just say? _ ”, the redheaded man asked curtly, shifting his position in his chair. The portly guidance counselor looked up from the folder in his hands, smiling pleasantly as he appraised his student’s parents. “Oh- what I said was, if it weren’t for Tsukishima Kei, Hinata’s grades would likely still be floating around a 2.0-- or worse, even. But now they’re a solid 3.3!” Shōyō’s father sat forward. “Yes, no, I understand that, but why did you refer to Tsukishima Kei as Shōyō’s  _ boyfriend _ ?”, he asked again, his face growing more serious by the moment. 

Mr. Matsuki turned back to the papers before him. He continued speaking, completely oblivious to where the conversation was heading, and what it might mean for the poor second-year he was accidentally outing. “Oh, well, we guidance counselors, we-- we sortof  _ cringe  _ whenever we see students begin to date. You see, for most students it is essentially a death sentence for their GPA. However, in young Shōyō’s case-- I suppose, because Tsukishima takes his studies so seriously and is in college-level courses-- his grades have  _ skyrocketed.  _ Oh- and of course- I am in no way insinuating that he’s cheating off of Tsukishima-- that would be basically impossible!”-- the balding guidance counselor chuckled-- “But sure enough, his grades do show a marked improvement! And it really only started once I heard that they were dating, about a year ago.” 

Hinata’s father gripped the arms of his seat. “So what you’re telling me is… my  **son** … Hinata Shōyō… is in a relationship with another boy?” The guidance counselor nodded, smiling as he lifted his gaze once more. “And that his grades have been terr… if… ic…”, he said, trailing off as he saw the pure rage glowing in the elder Hinata’s eyes. Shōyō’s mother was crying silent tears, clutching her purse to her as if she were a small child and it were her teddy bear. 

“I’m sorry”, Mr. Matsuki said, removing his glasses, “Did I say something to offend you?”. The redheaded man stood up. “Well, this was a hell of a way to find out that my son is--”, he started angrily, unable to finish his sentence. “My son is--”, he tried again, still failing to say the words aloud. “That your son is… doing very well in school?”, Mr. Matsuki asked. “That my son’s a  _ faggot! _ ”, Mr. Hinata yelled, knocking his chair over before storming out of the room. “I- I’m sorry!”, Shōyō’s mother cried before running after her husband. 

Mr. Matsuki sat there stunned. Sure, he’d informed parents of their children’s relationships before, but he’d never even  _ thought  _ that Hinata Shōyō’s parents would be left in the dark after all this time. He’d frequently seen the two boys in the hallway together-- in fact, the two were so inseparable over the course of the last year that he had to specifically call Hinata in for appointments in order to see the redhead without his blonde counterpart. Hinata spoke openly about Tsukishima to his counselor and, in all of their discussions about colleges or trade schools, the redhead maintained that he wanted to do whatever he could to follow in Tsukishima’s footsteps. Was it possible for two sixteen-year-olds to have such presence of mind that they could successfully hide a relationship from their parents for so long? Mr. Matsuki was in disbelief. But then, like a tsunami, the realization of what he’d done hit the stout man: he’d just outed not one but  _ two _ students  _ to one of their parents! _

The receptionist barely heard him yell, “I’m out for the evening”, as he ran past her. She’d never seen Mr. Matsuki run before in the entire decade and a half she worked under him.  _ ‘How unusual’ _ , she thought to herself before returning back to the email she’d been composing. 

The portly guidance counselor ran as quickly as his stubby little legs could take him to the gymnasium where the boys volleyball team practiced. As he burst through the door, he yelled, “ _ Hinata Shōyō!” _ . Four stunned boys turned and stared at him. “Um-- he went home a little bit ago”, a short boy with spiky hair said as he nervously spun the volleyball in his hands. “What about Tsukishima Kei?”, the older man panted. “They left together”, shrugged a thin boy with a shaven head. “Is everything okay?”, asked Takeda Ittetsu as he came from immediately to Matsuki’s left. He hadn’t noticed the young literature teacher amongst the group, but the guidance counselor was sorely grateful to see a (somewhat) familiar face. 

“Takeda!”, he exclaimed, “Ah-- um-- may I please speak with you for a moment?”, Mr. Matsuki asked as sweat beaded upon his forehead. “S- sure”, the younger man said, and together the two walked out of the gym, shutting the doors behind them. “What’s wrong?”, Takeda Ittetsu asked as a look of sincere concern crossed his face. “Um-- I-- Ah, Takeda, I don’t know how to put this but-- I am afraid that I may have just told Hinata Shōyō’s parents about… about the  _ nature _ of his relationship with Tsukishima Kei.” The volleyball team advisor gasped. “Y- you  _ what _ ?”, he exclaimed quietly, “What makes you think you did that?”. Matsuki nervously rubbed his hands together. “Ah- um- well- it’s more than just,  _ I think _ , I’m afraid… I… I definitely just told Shōyō’s parents everything.” All the color drained from Takeda’s face. “Oh… oh my… um… how did they…  _ react _ ?”, the younger man asked as he steadied himself against the door. Matsuki pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Not well, I’m afraid”, he said quietly, “I didn’t realize they didn’t  _ know _ . How oblivious do you have to be to not know when your child is dating someone-- and seriously, at that?!”. It was Takeda’s turn to shake his head. “No, no, no… Hinata and Tsukishima painstakingly hid their relationship from their families. They were worried they wouldn’t be allowed to spend time together if their parents knew the truth… Oh…  _ Oh God… _ ”. 

Takeda pulled out his phone and frantically pulled up his contacts, pressing Hinata Shōyō’s name the second he managed to scroll to ‘H’. It felt as if the phone took forever to connect, but once it did it immediately went to voicemail. As soon as he heard the beep, Takeda stammered out, “Oh-- um-- Hinata, it’s Takeda-sensei. Please-- call me back as soon as you can-- it’s extremely important! Okay, bye”. Upon ending the call, the young man stared at his phone, wondering what-- if anything-- he could do. Unfortunately, Mr. Matsuki seemed to be thinking the same thing, and already came up with his conclusion.

“Well, there’s nothing that can be done until tomorrow, I’m afraid”, the balding man said plainly, “unless, of course, you hear back from him.” Takeda gripped his phone and nodded. “I suppose that’s true…”, the advisor said dejectedly. 

Takeda held his phone in his hand for the rest of the night, waiting desperately for a phone call that was never going to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg please don't hate me for the misleading summary lmfao


	2. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima misses an important phone call.

At quarter past eight, Tsukishima Kei’s phone lit up, announcing that UNKNOWN CALLER was trying to reach him. He studied his phone for a moment, unsure about whether or not to answer it, before placing it down on his desk once more. He was trying to study, and figured that, if the person on the other line needed him (and wasn’t a telemarketer or something), they’d leave a message. Two minutes later his phone lit up again, letting him know that his mystery caller had, in fact, left a message. He dialed into his voicemail box and held his phone to his ear.

“Kei”, cried a voice Tsukishima immediately recognized, “Kei, please-- I’m at the bus stop by my house, and I’m gonna walk to your house and-- and--” --Hinata stopped for a moment to sob before continuing once more-- “I don't know-- Kei-- I'm coming over, but-- _please,_ if you can-- if you can-- meet me?”.

Tsukishima was off and running the second the message ended. He didn’t even completely shut his front door-- he didn’t have the time. Hinata needed him, and he needed to be there for his boyfriend. He ran as fast as he could despite his sore muscles from the rigorous practice the volleyball team had put in that day. His strides were longer than normal as he did his best to cover as much distance as quickly as possible.

Nearly twenty minutes later, upon turning a corner, the blonde saw, off in the distance, a small figure moving slowly along the darkened path. “Shōyō?!”, he called out; it felt as if his lungs were bleeding as he yelled, after the speed and distance he'd just run. The figure jumped at the sudden sound, though instead of speeding up towards Tsukishima, it seemed to crumple where it stood. Tsukishima began running again. He could hear sobs carried on the wind that whipped past his ears. As he neared he saw, for sure, that it was the boy he loved. The blonde threw himself to the ground, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy.

Hinata’s sobs turned into hysterics as he clung to the taller boy. “Kei!”, he cried out, into Tsukishima’s chest. All the blonde could do was hold Hinata close to him, clutching him and gently rocking the two back and forth. Tears flooded to his own eyes as he wondered what on earth could have Hinata as hysterical as he was.

“Baby”, he cooed, “it’s okay, I’m here.” He repeated things like this over and over until Hinata’s cries slowed. “Come on”, Tsukishima said, standing up. “Climb on my back, we’ll go to my house. We can talk there. You just calm down, okay?”. Hinata nodded, and though he had quieted down, tears were still running down his cheeks. Tsukshima squatted, allowing the redhead to wrap his arms around his neck, before looping his arms around Hinata’s legs and standing back up.

The two walked back into Tsukishima’s house nearly an hour after Tsukki left, though the moment they entered, Tsukishima’s mom came running from the kitchen. “Kei, Shōyō, what _happened_ ?”, she exclaimed upon seeing the boys. Tsukishima lowered Hinata to the ground. When he turned to look at Hinata, he saw that-- in addition to the tears that were still flowing down his cheeks-- Hinata had a very large cut on his lower lip that dipped down to his chin. Balling his fists, Tsukishima growled, “ _Who did this?!”_. Hinata looked up and, with huge tears welling up in the corner of his eyes, sobbed, “...My dad”.

Hinata collapsed to the ground and began crying again; though Tsukki was absolutely enraged, he had no choice but to let his anger go for a few minutes in order to comfort his beloved. Tsukishima sank down beside his sobbing boyfriend and wrapped himself around the small boy once more. This time they were joined by a third-- Tsukishima’s mom-- who put her arms around both boys. After some time, the woman spoke. “Come, Shōyō… let me clean that up for you.” Hinata obeyed, standing up, though he was still crying. Tsukishima tried to take the redhead’s hand, but Hinata shook it away.

“Here, come stand by the sink”, the blonde woman said gently. “Kei, could you please reach up and grab the first aid kit for me?”, she asked, nodding to the cabinet she stood in front of. Her son did as he was requested, pulling down a large red box for his mother. He stood at a distance as he watched his mom clean out Hinata’s wound. After cleaning it, she put antibacterial cream on the line from right beneath his lip to his chin, gently placed small bandages along the opening, and handed Hinata an ice pack. She then gently kissed the small boy’s forehead before turning to Tsukishima and saying, “Now, Kei, it’s your turn. Come sit on the counter for me.” Tsukki looked at his mother in confusion; in return, she smiled and shook her head. “Honey, your knees are all torn up”, she said gently before pointing to where Tsukki’s shorts ended. Sure enough, his knees were bloodied. “What the--”, the tall blonde started as he moved to follow his mother’s instructions. “Ohhhh”, he sighed when he realized what happened. He looked over to Hinata, whose eyes were tearing once more as he stared at Tsukishima’s injury. “I was so worried when I saw you that I just kindof _dove_ to the ground without thinking about it.” Tsukishima’s mother laughed as she went about disinfecting the wounds. “That’s my boy”, she chimed, “Never thinking before acting!”. “Hey!”, Tsukki frowned, eliciting a wider smile from his mother.

Once she was done dressing her son's injury, she stood up and cleared her throat. “I’m sure you two want some privacy”, she started as she closed up the first aid kit, “but-- _please--_ let me know if you need anything. I’m here for you both.” The blonde woman then left the room, leaving the two alone in the kitchen.

“Let’s go to your room”, Hinata said. Tsukishima nodded and hopped down from the counter, though he noticed that Hinata was trying very hard to avoid eye contact.

Once they were in his bedroom with the door shut, Tsukishima turned to Hinata, who had seated himself on his bed. “Shō, baby, what _happened_?”, he whispered. He went over and kneeled in front of his boyfriend, wincing slightly from the pressure on his wounds, and placed one arm on either side of the redhead.

Hinata spoke slowly and softly, as he tried his best to restrain his never ending flood of tears. “M- my parents… my parents had a meeting with my guidance counselor today… and for some reason he told them… about _us._ ” Tsukishima gasped, though he did not say anything. “W- when I got home… my parents had smashed my laptop… and my dad took my phone and t- threw it on the floor and it sh- sh- shattered… They told me I wasn’t allowed to see you again… and they t-t-told me… that they’d been thinking about moving in w- with my grandma in Nagasaki once I graduated high school, b- but, now that this happened, they weren’t gonna wait anymore… and they’re gonna send me to stay with her the day after tomorrow!”. Hinata dissolved into tears once more, allowing Tsukishima to pull his head to him and wrap his arms around the redhead. Tsukki’s mind was racing. They’d been _so_ careful; how could this have happened?

Before Tsukishima could say anything, a knock came on his door. “Mom, we’re a little busy”, he called out, though that didn’t stop his mom from entering the room anyway. Both boys sat stunned with wide eyes, like a deer caught in headlights, when the door clicked open, and the matriarch of the household saw them in such an intimate position.

“Boys, I’m sorry”, she said as she stepped into the room, “but I couldn’t help myself-- I heard everything.” Hinata began crying again and Tsukishima’s face dropped. ‘ _Great. Now I’m gonna get disowned, too_ ’, the blonde thought to himself. His mother suddenly became aware of the atmosphere in the room and walked over to the two boys. She sat beside Hinata on the bed, and put her hand on top of her son's hand.

“Boys”, she said softly, “your relationship isn’t news to me. I’ve known about you two for a long while now.” Kei narrowed his eyes. “Akiteru told you, didn’t he?”, the tall blonde asked. His mother laughed. “Oh, goodness, no!”, she exclaimed, “Why are you so hard on your brother, Kei? No-- no. Do you really think a mother wouldn’t notice when her son is suddenly the happiest he’s ever been?”. These words seemed to slow Hinata’s tears. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice that Shōyō suddenly started staying over almost every weekend, but Tadashi wasn’t invited?”. Tsukishima’s mom pulled Hinata closer to her. “Besides… every morning, when I come home from work, I like to peek in and see my boys. It makes those awful graveyard shifts seem like they’re worth it. You don’t think I put two and two together when I’d come home and see you two fast asleep in one bed, snuggling?”. Tsukishima’s mother began laughing gently. “Oh, boy, if you do, you must think I’m the stupidest woman on the planet!” Tsukishima sat back on his heels. “But… why didn’t you say anything?”, he asked. In a matter of hours, his whole life had been turned upside down, and he was having trouble understanding what had happened.

His mother squeezed his hand. “My baby”, she said softly, “I wasn’t going to make you tell me _anything_ until you were comfortable doing so. I would _never_ pressure you like that.” A light blush and gentle smile washed over Tsukishima’s face. “Thanks, mom”, he said quietly, before looking back to Hinata.

“Shōyō”, the blonde woman said, “if I heard everything correctly, what happened to you is _terrible_. Some parents…” --Tsukishima’s mother sighed-- “...some parents forget that what they want for their child isn’t always what’s best for them. I’m sure this came as a shock, but I’m also sure they’ll get over it. After all, you’re--”. Hinata shook his head. “No-- I’m sorry-- but I don’t think they’re going to get over it”, the redhead said dejectedly. Tsukishima’s mom ran her hand through Hinata’s hair. “What makes you say that?”, she asked.

Hinata sunk his head. “W- well… I told my dad that I wasn’t going to stop seeing Kei… and… and that… and that I love him… and he… he said…”. Hinata clenched his eyes shut. “...he said that no son of his was going to be a… a _fag._ ” Tsukishima felt his stomach turn. How could anyone say such harsh things to another person, let alone their own _child?_

“He told me I could either be gay or be his son… and… and I said, ‘I guess I don’t have a dad anymore’.” Tsukishima squeezed Hinata’s hand. He was distraught and disturbed by the situation, but he couldn’t help but be proud of his boyfriend for standing up for what he believed in, and for standing up for their love. “Then he punched me, and I fell into the coffee table, and it broke, and… I don’t know, the next thing I remember, I was running down the street.” Tsukishima’s mom gasped. “Does it hurt anywhere?”, she asked. Hinata nodded and ran a hand down to his lower back. “Here”, he said quietly. The blonde woman lifted up his shirt and gasped. “Shōyō, honey, I’m going to take you to the hospital. We need to make sure nothing’s broken or ruptured.” Hinata tried to disagree, though he was overpowered by the two Tsukishima’s.

Minutes later Hinata and Tsukishima sat in the back seat of Tsukishima’s mom’s car, as she sped off towards her job. Tsukki held Hinata’s hand. “Um- Tsukishima-san”, Hinata started, “Can we _please_ not say it was my dad? I… I don’t want him to get in trouble.” Kei felt a furious heat erupt inside of him. He’d never loathed a human being more than he hated Hinata’s father after the stories from that night, and felt that the man deserved no mercy whatsoever. Tsukishima’s mom, however, nodded. “Of course, sweetie”, she said gently, “but just remember, just because he’s your dad, doesn’t mean he had any right to put his hands on you.”

Hinata nodded silently.

“So, may I ask, were you planning on going back home?”, Tsukishima’s mom asked. Again Hinata shook his head. “I don’t want to be sent to my grandma’s… and… well, they seemed _really_ serious about moving. I heard them mention it a few times over the last few years, but tonight was different.” Tsukishima squeezed Hinata’s hand harder. “Well”, started the woman, “You are always welcome to come live with us. I mean-- you practically live with us half the time _anyway,_ but-- you’re welcome to make it official.” Tsukishima had a newfound love and respect for his mother, though Hinata shook his head once more. “I couldn’t be a burden on you like that…”, he said quietly.

The three had made it to the hospital, and Tsukishima’s mom was in the middle of parking when the redhead refused her offer. Once the car was stopped, she turned around and faced him. “Shōyō”, she said seriously, “I love you like a third son. In fact-- you may very well _become_ my son one day, if I know my Kei the way I think I do.” Tsukki blushed; she was right, of course-- he _did_ want to marry the redhead. “It would be more of a burden for me to not know where you are-- to not know that you’re safe. So please… if you don’t have anywhere else to go, please stay with us.”

Hinata broke down crying once more. It took him a minute or two to get his bearings, but once he did he smiled through the tears and nodded. “Okay!”, he cried, “Thank you!”. Tsukki hugged his boyfriend tight, and his mother put her hand on Hinata’s knee. “Okay, guys, let’s go make sure you’re okay”, she said before getting out of the car.

The three were in the hospital for nearly five hours. Hinata had been subjected to many tests, including bloodwork, x-rays, a CT scan, an MRI of his back, and of course, a full physical examination. Tsukki gasped when Hinata took off his shirt; the bruise left by the table was large and was a deep wine color. Clearly his mother had made the right call in bringing Hinata to be checked out. Countless social workers came and went, trying to make sure that Hinata wasn’t being abused by a partner or his parents, but the group stuck to the story that he’d gotten into a fight and didn’t want to press charges.

Ultimately the doctors diagnosed the mark as a contusion and sent Hinata home with strict instructions to avoid moving too much for the next few days. It was a little bit past three when the group returned to the Tsukishima family home. “I’ll go make some food”, Tsukki’s mom said upon entering the house, “You boys go take it easy”. While she cooked, the two boys laid on the couch, with Hinata resting his head on Tsukishima’s chest.

Kei slowly rubbed his hand up and down Hinata’s back, careful to avoid the area that had been so badly bruised. “I’m sorry you went through all this bullshit because of me”, he said quietly before picking his head up and kissing the top of Hinata’s wavy locks. Hinata turned and looked up at Tsukishima. “I love you”, the redhead said matter-of-factly, “and nobody can change that.” Tsukki smiled softly and Hinata looked away. “You know”, Hinata said after a few minutes, “Tonight was like, pretty much the worst night of my life. I literally just lived out my biggest fear. But… now we get to live together, which is a dream come true, so…”. Tsukishima held the smaller boy to him. “I just wish it could’ve been under better circumstances”, the blonde lamented. “Although”, he added, “now you have a second family-- or a third family, even, if you consider the volleyball team…”. Hinata nodded.

“Hey, guys, here-- sit up-- I whipped up a quick stir fry”, came Tsukishima’s mother’s voice from behind them. The two did as they were told and the blonde woman handed each boy a bowl of food before returning to the kitchen. “Thanks for the food!”, they both called before digging in. Tsukki’s mom came back into the living room carrying her own bowl. “Now”, she said, “I want you both to eat up and then go to bed. You’ve had a long night. I’m gonna call you both out of school for the rest of the year-- I doubt anyone will complain that you’ll be gone for two days, and I don’t want people to ask you questions you’re not ready for, Shōyō.” Both boys thanked the blonde woman through mouthfuls of food, and as she turned to leave the two alone for the night, she called back, “Oh, and-- Kei, honey-- can I see you when you get a chance? It doesn’t have to be tonight or tomorrow even. Just-- whenever you’re free.” Tsukki replied, “Sure”, to his mom and with that, she bid the boys goodnight.

When the two were finished eating, Tsukishima took Hinata’s bowl and placed it in the sink alongside his own. Turning back to the redhead, he said, “I need to take a bath before bed… do you want to join me?”. Hinata smiled softly and nodded. “It’s been a while since we took a bath together…”, the redhead said quietly. The change in Shōyō’s demeanor was heartbreaking to Tsukishima. The normally fiery and bubbly redhead had suddenly become quiet, soft spoken, and reserved. It was all Tsukishima could do not to cry himself. He walked over to where Hinata stood and gently pressed their lips together. He pulled the boy close to him as they kissed, and tried his best to let his body show what his voice couldn’t. He _loved_ Hinata, and couldn’t stand to see him like this.

When he pulled away, he bent down and, scooping up Hinata’s legs, carried the smaller boy into the bathroom. Tsukki set the redhead down on the toilet seat, started the water, and excused himself for a brief moment so he could run and get them clean clothes to change into. When he returned, Tsukishima carefully stripped his boyfriend. Neither of them spoke, but the degree of love Tsukishima had for his boyfriend was made very clear by the tenderness he exhibited. He was careful of Hinata’s injuries when he removed the redhead’s shirt, lavishing the boy with kisses as he exposed his skin. He then removed his own clothes carelessly, wincing as he tore off a forgotten bandage from his kneecap. Tsukki peeled off the other bandage as well. He knew the water was going to sting, but there was no way that he was going to sit in a bathtub with wet bandaids on.

Tsukki climbed into the bath, sitting in his regular position with his back against the tub. But as the redhead moved to join the blonde, Tsukishima instructed Hinata to sit backwards, so the two would face each other. Hinata did as his boyfriend requested, and, upon sitting down, Tsukki pulled the smaller boy to him. They sat there like that for a long time, with Tsukishima simply holding his boyfriend. When they finally pulled apart, Hinata was shocked to see tears in Tsukki’s eyes. “Kei…”, Hinata whispered, cupping Tsukishima’s face in his hands. “I- I’m sorry”, the blonde said as a single tear dropped out of his left eye, “I know this is the last thing you need to deal with right now”. Hinata shook his head and smiled weakly. “It means the world to me that my pain is your pain”, the redhead said. Pulling Hinata back into him, Tsukishima said, “I’m sorry-- if he weren’t your father, I’d kill him.” Hinata put his arms around the blonde. “But baby”, the smaller boy said, “you can’t hold me if you’re in jail…”. Hinata could feel the sharp exhale from Tsukishima’s silent laughter. “I guess that’s true”, the blonde said. Though his words were gentle, his fingertips told a different story as they desperately gripped Hinata’s skin.

Eventually Tsukishima let the redhead go in favor of washing him. He soaped up a washcloth and, ever so gently, ran it around Hinata’s face, avoiding his chin but making sure to clean his tear-and-dirt stained cheeks. He gently placed a kiss on top of the bandages on the smaller boy’s face before moving the washcloth down and cleaning the rest of him. Tsukishima normally treated his boyfriend as if he were incredibly fragile (outside of the bedroom), but tonight it was as if Hinata was a rare and delicate flower. When the two exited the tub, Tsukishima dressed Hinata carefully, making sure to not rest the waistband of Hinata’s boxers on his bruise. He then carried the little redhead to his bedroom, rolling down the blankets with his knee before tucking Hinata in.

Once the lights were off and Tsukishima had laid his glasses on his desk, Hinata said, “You know, I’m not like, _broken,_ right? I can still walk and do stuff for myself…”. Tsukishima nodded as he pulled Hinata to him. “I know. I normally just enjoy taking care of you, but tonight, I _need_ to, for my own sanity.” Hinata smiled into the darkness. “I love you, Kei”, the redhead called. “I love you too, Shōyō. And as long as I’m alive, nothing will ever hurt you again.” Hinata tilted his head up and kissed Tsukishima softly on the lips.

Before long the redhead was asleep, and as Tsukki laid there in the darkness, a _thump_ interrupted the silence, reminding the blonde of the promise he'd made to talk to his mother. Ever so gently, Tsukki extracted himself from Hinata’s hold and got out of bed, pulling the blankets back up so his love wouldn’t get cold while he was gone. He threw on sweatpants and grabbed his glasses before walking down the hall to his mother’s room.

Her door was open, though he still knocked. “Hey sweetheart”, his mother called, leaning forward so her son could see her from the doorway. She was sitting in bed reading a book; when Kei entered the room, she dog-eared the page she was on before shutting the book and tossing it across the bed. She then patted the bed by her feet, indicating that her boy should come sit by her.

“Are you okay?”, she asked as Tsukki sat down. “I know this was a lot for you. The stuff with Shō’s dad would’ve been bad on its own, but… for it to be about your relationship, and for me to have to reveal what _I_ knew… You’ve had a really rough day.” Tsukki studied the floor, nodding as his mother spoke. The room went silent for a moment before he looked up. “Mom, I want to kill his father”, Tsukishima confessed as he clenched his fists so hard his fingers went white. His mother scooted forward on the bed and rubbed her son’s back affectionately. “I know you do, honey, I know. But… at the end of the day, that’s Shōyō’s father. Some parents have a hard time grasping things like this. He probably had different expectations for his son, and was upset for his dreams to ‘fall through’, if you will.” “Yeah”, Tsukki interrupted, “but that’s no excuse to put his hands on Shōyō.” Tsukishima’s mother nodded. “I agree completely, there’s no doubt that what he did was wrong. But- son- maybe one day he’ll realize the error of his ways. Maybe he’ll regret pushing his son away over something so ridiculous. And if that does happen, _you_ need to be there to help Shōyō through it. If you beat the daylights out of this man like I know you want to, do you think he’ll ever want anything to do with you two as a couple?”. Kei hung his head again. “I know, mom, you’re right. But it’s so _hard_ to know that Shō went through something like that, and I can never make it better for him.” The older woman smiled. “Oh, Kei”, she said gently, “don’t you see? You already _have_ made it better for him. He had someone to turn to. He has somewhere to live, and another family that loves him. What more could you possibly expect of yourself?”.

Tsukki removed his glasses, drawing one hand up to cover his eyes. “You’re right”, he said in a broken voice, “I can’t even… I can’t _imagine_ what Shō would’ve done if he didn’t have me to turn to.” Tsukishima’s mother scooted closer to her son, dropping her legs over the edge of the bed. “You really love him, don’t you?”, she asked as she leaned against her tall son’s shoulder. Tsukki lifted up his head, and his mother was shocked to see that he was crying; it was a sight she hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. “I do, mom”, Tsukki confessed, “I really do.” His mother threw her arms around him; she couldn’t have described the feelings she was experiencing at the time, but it was some sort of twisted combination of being overjoyed and devastated simultaneously.

After some time, she released her son, who then wiped the tears from his eyes. “You know times are tough, but I’ll do what I can to support you two”, Tsukishima’s mom said. When the tall boy looked at her quizzically, she shrugged. “I don’t want either of you to suffer academically or have to give up volleyball just because of this bump in the road. So you tell me what either of you needs-- clothes, school supplies-- you name it, and I’ll do my best to help.” Tsukki smiled. “Thanks mom”, he said quietly. “Shōyō’s birthday is coming up, isn’t it?”, she asked, trying to downplay the importance of the situation. Kei seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding. “If you’re okay with it, I think we should do something special, after everything else he’s been through. I even thought about what I could get him…”

Twenty minutes later, Tsukishima was crawling back into bed next to Hinata. The sun had just barely begun to rise, and Tsukki had a hard time digesting all the things that had happened over the previous twelve hours. Hinata, on the other hand, had been so exhausted from the day’s drama that he had fallen asleep immediately, and didn’t move at all the entire time Tsukki was gone. This made it easier, then, for Tsukishima to replace himself where he had been before he saw his mom, wrapped safely around the smaller boy.

 _‘I promise’_ , he said quietly, kissing the back of Hinata’s head as he spooned him, _‘I_ _will_ _protect you.’_

  


	3. Visiting Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While recovering after the previous night's events, Hinata and Tsukishima receive several visitors.

Tsukishima did not wake up until quarter after two that afternoon. He was completely shocked to find that Shōyō was still passed out beside him, though as he began untangling their limbs, the small redhead stirred.

“Mmm, hey”, Hinata called in a raspy voice. Tsukki replaced his arm where it had been moments before, laying across the redhead’s chest, and pulled the smaller boy into a deep hug, burying his face in Hinata’s neck. “Good morning”, Tsukishima whispered, kissing whatever skin he could reach. “Nnn… what time is it?”, the redhead asked sleepily. Tsukki shook his head. “I don’t know”, he replied, “but it’s probably late. I didn’t fall asleep until after the sun was up.”

It took the two boys another twenty minutes to successfully remove themselves from the bed; they had both been utterly exhausted and neither was honestly ready to face life again yet. Upon emerging from their room, Tsukki’s mother-- who’d clearly been getting ready for work-- stopped everything she was doing and made them a hearty meal of fried rice and grilled chicken.

“How are you boys feeling?”, she asked gently as she served each their meal. Tsukki shrugged; he wasn’t big on conversation, and he particularly was not big on conversation immediately after waking up. Hinata also shrugged. “My back is really tender”, he admitted as he dug into the food before him, “and I feel like I could’ve slept for days.” The blonde woman nodded. “This is why I called both of you out of school… you _both_ need your rest after experiencing such trauma.” Tsukki mulled his mother’s words over as he chewed. He was also inexplicably drained; sure, the previous night had been insanely stressful for him, but he hadn’t experienced any of the physical issues that Hinata had… so why did he feel so shitty?

“So, dinner’s in the fridge”, Tsukki’s mother continued as she bustled about the kitchen, cleaning up and making last-minute preparations, “although I won’t be offended if you boys get something else. Kei, honey, you know the drill-- I won’t be home until six tomorrow, but if you need anything, call me and I’ll come right home if I have to.” “Mom”, the surly blonde groaned, “Don’t you think you’re overdoing it?”. The elder Tsukishima laughed as she crossed the room and tousled her son’s hair. “Probably”, she shrugged, “but that’s what I’m here for, right? Who else is gonna overdo it for you?”. Tsukki couldn’t help but smile. His mom was the sweetest, most genuine person in the world, and he was incredibly grateful for everything she did for him.

“Alright, boys, I’ll see you later”, she called from the front hallway as she slipped on her shoes. “Bye Mom! Have a good day!”, Tsukki replied. Hinata smiled softly. “Bye, Tsukshima-san!”, the redhead called. “You take care of each other, you hear?”, the blonde woman yelled as she opened the door.

“Your mom is so nice”, Hinata said with a frail smile. Tsukki nodded solemnly before reaching over and taking Hinata’s hand in his. “Shōyō”, Tsukishima said carefully, “it’ll be okay. It’ll all work out in the end, for better or worse.” Hinata nodded but could not find the words to express what was on his mind. Though, to be fair, his mind felt as if it were overtaken by wordless, shapeless emotions that replaced his actual thoughts. All he felt he could do was feel, and all he could feel in that moment was the agony of rejection.

As Tsukishima cleared their plates and took them to the sink to rinse them off, Hinata finally spoke. “Do you know… my mom didn’t stand up for me at all?”, he said somberly. “Not when my dad broke my stuff, not when he called me the horrible things he called me, not even when he hit me. She just… stood there.” Tsukishima frowned but managed a shrug; he knew he had to remain as impartial as he could on the outside, even if he loathed both of Hinata’s parents from the very depths of his soul at that moment. He didn’t want to do anything to alienate Hinata from his mom or dad any further. “I don’t know, Shō. I don’t know your parents well enough to pass judgement. I don’t agree with it, but maybe she felt that standing by her husband was the right thing to do.” Hinata shook his head as tears began to fall into his lap. “No”, he said quietly, “she had this horrible look on her face-- like she agreed with every word he said. Like she hated me, and I was less than a person to her. I feel sick just thinking about it.” “Then don’t think about it”, Tsukki said, shutting the dishwasher. “Let’s go do something-- anything you want.” Through his tears, Hinata still managed to grin mischievously up at the blonde. “ _Anything?”,_ he asked, raising his eyebrows. Tsukki rolled his eyes. “I don’t think we should do anything too physical until you heal a little bit”, the blonde said, frowning. Hinata frowned deeper. “You’re no fun”, he called, wiping his tears from his cheeks with the heel of his palm.

The tall blonde walked over to his boyfriend and gently wrapped his arms around Hinata’s neck; the redhead was still seated, so Tsukki had to bend more than usual to do this, but he was also able to prop his chin up on top of Hinata’s head. “Do you know that I love you?”, the blonde asked, tilting his head forward and kissing the top of Hinata’s fiery locks. Shōyō gripped Tsukki’s arms and grinned upwards. “I do”, he said softly, “as long as you know that I love you more.” Tsukki stood erect and frowned down at his small lover. “Well, we have a problem then, because I know for a _fact_ that I love you more.”

Though the two had been dating for over a year, they still happily played the ‘I love you more’ game on a regular basis. As they went back and forth, Tsukishima’s phone suddenly rang out from where it rested in the pocket of his pants. He was shocked to see that the advisor for the volleyball team, Takeda Ittetsu, was calling. “Uh- hello?”, he asked into the phone, unsure of what would be coming next. Were he and Hinata in trouble for missing practice or something?

“Tsukishima-kun!”, called the voice on the other end of the phone, “Oh, thank God! Is Hinata-kun with you? Where are you?”. Tsukki looked over to the redhead. “Um… yeah. He’s at my house.” “Is everything okay?”, asked Takeda-sensei. Tsukki wasn’t sure what to make of this conversation. His face alternated between frowning at the phone and looking back to Hinata. “Um-- Takeda-sensei-- is it okay if I just put the call on speaker? I don’t really feel comfortable talking for Shōyō.” “Of course, of course!”, cried the dark haired advisor, “I’m so sorry for putting you in a position like this!”. Tsukki returned to his seat at the table, where he placed his phone down in between him and Hinata. After pressing a few buttons, the blonde said, “Takeda-sensei, you’re on speaker. Hinata’s here with me.” “Hey sensei!”, the redhead called in a tone as close to his usual, bubbly demeanor as he could manage. “Hinata-kun!”, exclaimed Takeda. The boys were used to hearing panic in their club advisor’s voice, but the way he was speaking then and there downright _alarmed_ them. “Are you okay?”, the advisor continued, “I tried calling you yesterday and it went straight to voicemail, but I just wanted to see if everything was alright. Mr. Matsuki told me what had happened in the meeting he had with your parents, and he feels really terrible… Would it be possible for the two of us to stop over? Of course, I could understand if you didn’t want us to, but--” “Sure, sensei, sounds good”, Hinata interrupted, "although, I _am_ at Kei's house". He’d been waiting for the anxiety-prone teacher to pause so he could answer any of his questions, but if there was one thing Takeda Ittetsu was good at, it was stammering out a thousand thoughts with one breath. The line was silent for a moment before Takeda replied, “O-- oh... Okay! Well, I’m done with my work for the day so all I have to do is grab Matsuki-sensei and we’ll be on our way!”

Twenty minutes later, Hinata and Tsukishima had gotten dressed and were sitting on the couch when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it”, Tsukki said, placing his hand on Hinata’s knee, “you stay put.” Instead the redhead stood. “I’m not broken, Kei”, he mumbled, earning a deep frown from his boyfriend. Tsukishima answered the door, with Hinata close behind, to find both Takeda Ittetsu and Mr. Matsuki standing on his porch. “Good afternoon”, Tsukki smiled pleasantly, “Please, come in”. “Thank you for having us, Tsukishima-kun. You know Mr. Matsuki, right? I--”. The dark-haired advisor stopped speaking when he saw Hinata standing just inside the house with his split lip and bandages trailing down to his chin. “Hinata-kun!”, he gasped, quickly shaking off his shoes before running to the small redhead. Mr. Matsuki had been silent, though he trailed closely behind Takeda-sensei while Tsukishima shut the door. Takeda was holding Hinata by his shoulders as he barraged him with questions.

“Um! Takeda-sensei! Why don’t we go inside, and Hinata can answer your questions there?”, Tsukki suggested, worried that the volleyball club advisor was overwhelming Shōyō. “Oh--”, Takeda-sensei exclaimed, jumping back from Hinata in embarrassment, “Yes! That sounds like a good idea! Again-- thank you for having us!”.

Together the four went into the livingroom. The Tsukishima family living room was more than large enough for their small gathering. There were two couches arranged in an ‘L’ shape, and before them was a chabudai with two zabuton on the sides that weren't near the couches. Tsukishima invited the two teachers to sit anywhere, and the two men sat together on one couch. Hinata positioned himself on the other, though Tsukishima excused himself briefly. “I’m just going to go grab some refreshments”, he smiled, trying his best to be a good host. He’d never really _had_ to play this role before; it was the role his mother always took on when anyone visited, as the only people who ever came over to see him were Hinata and Yamaguchi, neither of whom Tsukishima felt the need to impress with his entertaining skills. “Call me if you need me”, Tsukki smiled to his boyfriend, before dashing into the kitchen.

The blonde bustled around the kitchen, trying to prepare refreshments as quickly as possible. He immediately put the kettle on the stove and turned it up to maximum temperature. As the water heated, he pulled out their family’s ‘nice’ tea set, arranged it on a tray, and then set out some rice crackers. He tried his best to listen in on the conversation, worried that this might have been too much for the redhead after all.

When Tsukishima left the room, Mr. Matsuki finally spoke. “Hinata-kun, I am _so_ sorry… Words cannot express the regret I have over my actions. If I’d known yesterday what I know today, I would’ve quit my job then and there before I even had the chance to open my big, stupid mouth.” The guidance counselor had been studying the floor, unable to even _look_ at his student because he felt so guilty. “I have never done anything even _remotely_ like this. I just-- I’d assumed-- You’re always so _open_ with me about Tsukishima-kun. All of your teachers are aware of your relationship… so I’d just assumed that it was something everyone who knew you knew of. To be perfectly honest, I was actually _praising_ the impact that Tsukishima-kun had on your grades.”--Tsukki smiled from the kitchen. He was really proud of how well Hinata had been doing in school, but to hear someone else praising the way he influenced the redhead was almost as high a compliment as the change in Hinata’s grades.-- “I just… I never, not once in a million years, would’ve imagined that you two could’ve hid this from your parents for so long.” Hinata grinned as best as he could. “We did what we could to keep our parents from finding out, but I guess we thought school was safe from them. I never even thought of, like, conferences or anything like that, which I guess was dumb of me. But, I mean… we were gonna get caught eventually, so I guess it’s better they found out like this instead of like… you know… walking in on us, or something like that. I don’t think that would’ve ended well”, the redhead chuckled.

Hinata’s gentle words had Mr. Matsuki feeling even more guilty than he had been when he arrived . Here he was, feeling tremendously guilty for very obviously ruining a student’s life, while the student did all he could to reassure _him_. He finally gained the courage to look up at Hinata and smile, but looked back down the second he saw the gash on the young man’s face.

“Hinata-kun”, Takeda said, sitting forward on the couch, “Can I ask-- what happened? I’m assuming… since you’re here and all, and I can’t reach you on your cell… that things didn’t go well.”

Tsukishima pulled the kettle off of the stove, dumped the water into the teapot, and quickly made his way into the living room. This was a conversation that he was not allowing the redhead to go through alone.

“Sorry to interrupt”, Tsukishima smiled, doing his best to channel his mother, “But I made tea. It’s not much, but…”. The blonde set the tray on the chabudai and set one tea cup as close to each person as possible. He then filled the cups before taking his seat beside Hinata. He quickly grabbed his boyfriend’s hand and squeezed it in an effort to reassure him and silently say, _‘I’m here for you.’_

After everyone had thanked Tsukishima for his hospitality and taken a sip of their tea, Hinata sat back on the couch, folding his legs under him. “Well…”, the redhead started, “...my dad really wasn’t happy. He basically told me to stop seeing Kei or else. And I told him I wasn’t gonna stop seeing him, so he smashed my phone and got a little bit physical with me, and then I left.” Both of the teachers looked severely troubled by this news, but Tsukishima couldn't help but feel an outpouring of pride in his boyfriend. The poor little redhead had been through so much over the previous twenty four hours, but there he was, telling his story in as simple and dignified a manner as possible.

Takeda’s frown grew as the moments passed. Finally, he spoke. “So I’m assuming how you got…”. Hinata grinned and nodded, “Yep! To be honest it looks way worse than it feels, though.” It was only obvious to Tsukishima that Hinata was doing his best to try to cheer the other men up. His story was a very light version of what actually happened, and the grin on his face-- though totally inauthentic-- was to try to lessen the impact of the story still.

“So what are you going to do now?”, asked Mr. Matsuki, as he sipped from his tea cup. Hinata lulled his head. “Well”, he said, looking quickly to the blonde before turning back to their guests, “Kei’s mom offered to let me stay with them. So I think that’s what I’m gonna do.” Takeda’s frown deepened still. “Shōyō”, the advisor started, “You’re still a minor… you can get in a lot of trouble for running away from home.” Hinata shrugged. “I’m turning 18 in two weeks, so I don’t really think it’s that big a deal. Besides, I didn’t press charges like they told me to at the hospital, so if it really becomes a problem, I can bring that up with my parents.”

Both Takeda and Matsuki’s faces fell. “...hospital?”, repeated Takeda. Hinata’s eyes went wide and his face flushed. “Oh! Um!”, Tsukishima started, trying desperately to cover for his boyfriend, “My mom is a nurse! And-- Hinata came straight here after everything that happened, and-- and she was worried that his cut might get infected, so she decided to take him to the hospital just in case. It really wasn’t that big a deal!”

Tsukki _knew_ how obviously his tone was coming across, but he couldn’t help it; he was just so worried that something might happen to make Shōyō’s situation even worse. The two teachers nodded slowly. As Takeda reached for his tea, his phone went off. The sudden noise sent a jolt through the jumpy teacher, who quickly pulled the offending device out of his pocket. “Oh!”, he exclaimed, “It’s Coach Ukai. Do you guys mind if I tell him where I am if he asks? Or should I keep that to myself?”. Hinata smiled pleasantly and shook his head. “You can tell him! He can even stop by if he wants! Oh… if that’s okay with Tsukki.” Tsukishima raised his eyebrow to the redhead, but replied, “No, that’s fine.” Takeda excused himself for a moment to go take his call, leaving the two boys alone with the guidance counselor.

Mr. Matsuki sighed and sat forward. Finally he looked up at Hinata. “Hinata-kun, I cannot tell you how sorry I am to have caused you this kind of trouble. And I know that there’s nothing I can really do to make it up to you. But…”. The portly man dug in his shirt pocket as he spoke. “...if you ever need anything, _please_ , give me a call, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you.” After a moment’s further fussing, he successfully extracted a business card and handed it to the redhead. “That goes for you, too, Tsukishima-kun. I know I’ve made life a lot more difficult than it has to be for both of you. So-- please-- if there’s ever anything I can do… _please_ let me know.”

As he finished speaking, Takeda reemerged into the living room. “Coach Ukai is on his way over”, he said, smiling nervously, “but he wouldn’t tell me if he was coming by himself or not.” Tsukishima and Hinata exchanged glances but nodded to their advisor. “Actually…”, started Mr. Matsuki, “I must be going. I’m sorry to have dropped in like this, and again-- I am so, so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.” Takeda looked over to his colleague. “Oh! Um- do you want a ride to the train station? Cuz--” “No, no, that won’t be necessary, thank you. I could use the walk.” The counselor sighed before turning to Hinata and Tsukishima once more. “Again, boys, I am _so_ sorry. Please-- don’t hesitate to contact me if you need me. That number there's my cell, so you can call me at any hour. ...I hope everything works out for you guys.” The couple graciously thanked the counselor, who in turn politely shook off their gratitude.

With that, Tsukishima showed Mr. Matsuki out. When he returned, Takeda shared what little the boys had missed in their brief absence from school as they waited for Ukai. Not ten minutes later the doorbell rang; Takeda got up to answer it, insisting that the couple stayed where they were. They obeyed, for the most part, though when they heard the door click open, the two stood out of both politeness and habit. All was quiet for a moment before two familiar faces bounded into the living room. “SHŌYŌ”, shouted Nishinoya and Tanaka in sync as they practically leapt the length of the room to affectionately assault their kouhai. “A- ah! Wait!”, Hinata laughed as the two hugged the redhead. He was pleased to see them, but they were really hurting his injury. Tsukishima grabbed both of the third years by their collars and pulled them off of Hinata. As the two struggled against the blonde, another voice called out, “Oi!”. Tanaka and Nishinoya calmed down instantly, grinning like two children who’d just been caught mischief-making by their parents. “Knock it off, you two! You’re guests!”, chastised Coach Ukai. Tsukishima looked up and saw that, along with Ukai and Takeda, Kageyama and Yamaguchi had entered the living room. “Hey”, Tsukki said, nodding to his fellow second years. “Hey”, replied Kageyama simply, though Yamaguchi grinned and said, “Good afternoon, Kei, Shōyō”. Tsukki invited everyone to sit, though suddenly it seemed like his living room was no longer as abundant in its accommodations.

The students all sat around the chabudai as Takeda and Ukai took the couch adjacent to the one that Hinata and Tsukki were on. The room was silent for a moment before Hinata grinned; he knew everyone had come knowing what had happened, and he had the feeling that he was expected to reiterate his story once more.

“...and then I left and came here. It sucks, but, Kei’s mom said I can live here now, so it’s not all bad.” “Pfff”, laughed Tanaka, “You sure about that, Shorty? Cuz living with Tsukki sounds like it could be torture!”. Tsukishima glared at his senpai. “Yeah, like living with _you_ would be any easier!”, laughed Nishinoya. The two energetic boys began arguing, then started wrestling before Ukai intervened. _“Knock it off_ ”, he repeated, “If I have to tell you both to stop one more time, I’m sending you home.” Nishinoya frowned while Tanaka grinned once more. “Eh?”, he asked sarcastically, “But you’re only gonna be our coach for one more day…Do we really have to listen to you?”. Ukai rose from his seat and stood, towering over the two third years. “I may not be your coach anymore, but I’m _still_ your elder. Show some respect!” Tanaka frowned and mumbled, “Alright, alright grandpa…”. Ukai shot a glare at the troublemaker as he sat down once more.

Tsukishima found himself getting nervous. The abridged version of Hinata’s story was fine in front of two people, but what if someone started asking questions and Hinata betrayed more details? What if the others discovered the severity of Hinata’s injuries?

“Are you guys gonna be in school tomorrow?”, asked Yamaguchi. Tsukishima shook his head. “No, my mom called us out for the rest of the year.” “Aww, but that means you’re gonna miss us graduating!”, pouted Nishinoya. As Hinata moved to try to reassure the third years, Tsukishima raised his hand, gently touching the redhead’s shoulder. “I’m sure you understand”, said Tsukki calmly, “that Shōyō doesn’t want to have to explain his injury to more people than necessary. And he’s no good at lying, so the only option is to lay low until it heals a bit.” Noya shrugged then offered a grin. “You’re right-- sorry, Shōyō. Besides, it’s not like Tanaka or I are leaving town after we graduate.” Hinata cocked his head. “You’re not going to college?”, he asked confusedly. Tanaka laughed, “I’m going to school here in Sendai, and Noya’s going to a trade school in Natori, so we’ll both be close by. So you two had better call us if you ever need help!”

Hinata nodded gratefully, though Ukai scowled. “I’m sure there are plenty of other people they’d call if they needed something before they called either of you two.”, the coach said, grinning. “What’s that sposta mean?!”, threatened Tanaka.

As the group got rowdier, Tsukishima felt more relaxed. He’d given too much credit to the others, both in how proactively invested they were in Hinata’s well-being and in how well they knew the redhead (as nobody seemed to be able to tell that he wasn’t telling the full truth). Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Tsukishima felt Hinata jump beside him. “I got it”, he said quietly to his boyfriend. “Oh!”, shouted Nishinoya, “That’s probably Asahi and Daichi! I texted them when we left Karasuno. I figured they’d probably want to come, too.” “Wait, aren’t they both away at college?”, asked Hinata, cocking his head. Tanaka nodded. “But they came back to watch us graduate. But I mean, I would’ve been way more surprised if they _didn’t_ . Daichi being our former captain and team dad, and Asahi being the dutiful wife to Noya that he is…” “HEY!”, yelled the libero, “I’ll have you know that _I’m_ the wife!” “Yeah, okay. You expect me to believe that Asahi wears the pants in your relationship?” “No-- _neither of us wear pants.”_ “Too much information!” “I didn’t want to know that…” “Nishinoya, could you please _knock it off”._

Tsukishima went to the door as the group chattered amongst themselves. To his surprise, the front door opened when he was still a few feet away from it.

“Come on in”, smiled Akiteru, who entered the house then held the door for Asahi, Daichi, and Sugawara. “Suga-san!”, exclaimed Tsukishima, completely surprising himself by how excited he was to see his former teammates, “Nishinoya said Asahi and Daichi would be coming-- he didn’t mention you!”. Sugawara grinned. “I wasn’t gonna come initially, but I managed to get a few days off from my internship. We decided to keep it a surprise.” Tsukishima shook hands with Asahi and Daichi, but as he extended his hand to Sugawara he was pulled into a hug; for the first time since he met Sugawara, he didn’t resist it, but instead returned the sentiment. Tsukki then led his three senpais to the larger group. Nishinoya was already standing, ready to pounce on Asahi when he noticed Sugawara trailing behind the other two. “SUGA-SAN?!”, exclaimed the smaller third year as he bounded across the room. Asahi had braced himself for the enthusiastic hug his boyfriend always gave him when they first saw each other, but was sorely disappointed to see it go to Sugawara instead. “H- hey!”, he exclaimed indignantly to the libero who was wrapped around Karasuno’s former setter. “Suga-san! Suga-san!”, cried Nishinoya, completely ignoring Asahi’s complaints.

The others had gotten up and joined Nishinoya in greeting their former senpais, albeit a little bit less enthusiastically (and physically) than the libero. Hinata would never admit it, but he was grateful to have the attention taken off of him for a few minutes. It was bad enough that he had to go through what he had to go through; having to reiterate it in the most sensitive manner possible for his audience was _exhausting._

It took over five minutes for the group to calm down at their unexpected reunion; it wasn’t like they never saw each other, but normally such gettogethers were reserved for holidays. Seeing the previous year’s graduates unexpectedly was a tremendous treat for the others. When the group had settled and everyone moved back to where they had been sitting, Tsukishima motioned for the others to take his seat on the couch while he went and grabbed spare chairs from the kitchen. “How many do I need?”, he called out to Hinata. “Uh- I think just one for me and one for you”, the redhead called back. Tsukishima sighed exasperatedly when he returned to the living room: Ukai and Takeda had taken the seats they were in previously on one couch, while the other couch was packed with Daichi sitting on one end, Sugawara sitting next to him, Asahi sitting next to him on the other end, and Nishinoya sitting on Asahi’s lap with his leg draped over Sugawara. “Get your legs off of me!”, Suga exclaimed, pushing the libero’s lanky limbs away. “But Mommm, it’s more comfortable like this!”, Noya whined. Sugawara huffed but ultimately folded his arms in resignation as Asahi looked on helplessly. Daichi put an arm around Suga’s shoulders and had his boyfriend scoot closer to him. This left Tanaka, Yamaguchi, and Kageyama sitting on the zabutons on the floor, with one open. “Here, Shō, you sit here and I’ll sit at the table”, Tsukki offered, placing one of the kitchen chairs beside the couch. Hinata scowled and shook his head. “No you will not”, he said sternly. Tsukishima squinted at the small redhead, and Hinata said quietly, “Your knees”. Tsukki paused for a moment before nodding; he then retrieved the other chair and placed it next to Hinata’s.

The group chatted for a long time about college, graduating high school, and of course, volleyball, before the conversation turned to Hinata and his split lip. “So… if no one else is gonna ask… Are you okay, Shō-chan?”, asked Suga, smiling nervously. Hinata blushed as the entire room turned to look at him. “Um… well…”, the redhead started, only to be cut off by Tsukishima. “Shōyō’s guidance counselor accidentally outed us to his parents, who were less than thrilled about it. His dad punched him in the face and broke his phone, and he came here, and now he lives with me.” Tsukki’s story was quick and blunt, like tearing off a bandaid. The whole group gasped in unison; while everyone besides the former third years had heard the story before, Tsukishima’s version of the story-- though shorter-- seemed to be more graphic. Hinata shrugged. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it”, he said with a smile, though his face was flushed. “Oh my God, Shōyō!”, Sugawara exclaimed. Daichi folded his arms and shook his head, though it was not clear if it was in sympathy, frustration, or anger. Nishinoya, on the other hand, put an arm around Asahi and laughed. “See, baby? I told you our situation when my dad found out wasn’t that bad.” Hinata raised an eyebrow. “What happened for you guys?”, the redhead asked curiously. Tanaka started laughing hysterically. “Oh, boy, you didn’t hear that story?!”, he cried as he doubled over. Asahi frowned deeply, but Nishinoya rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, it’s pretty funny, looking back on it”, he laughed. “No it’s not!”, exclaimed Asahi.

“Basically, my dad caught us _doing it._ It was super awkward and he basically threw Asahi out of the house without any clothes on.” “Yeah, and then I had to walk home like that. I hid any time a car was passing, but I’m pretty sure a bunch of people saw my butt that night.” Tanaka, who was still laughing, cried, “But that’s not the best part! The next morning the news had a feature about a pervert who was stalking the streets of Sendai in the nude!”. Hinata grinned and looked at Tsukishima. “I don’t know… I somehow feel like that would be worse…”, he laughed. Tsukki rolled his eyes. “Well”, Nishinoya added, “My dad _did_ eventually apologize, and now they invite Asahi over for holidays and stuff.”

“How did your parents react, Asahi-san? If you don’t mind me asking, that is...”, asked Hinata. This was a topic the team had never discussed, and the redhead was particularly curious after the stark differences in the reactions from his parents and Tsukki’s mom.

“My parents said they could see it coming from a mile away”, Asahi shrugged. “Really?”, asked Ukai, “No offense or anything-- I don’t even know if I belong in this conversation-- but I would never have guessed that you were into guys.” Asahi hung his head. “I’m not”, he said demurely, “but Yū was… really persistent. Apparently the first time my parents met him, they said to each other, ‘that’s gonna be our son-in-law one day’. And it’s not like I’ve ever talked to them about this stuff or brought a guy home, and no one in my family is gay that I know of, but… I guess they just had a feeling about Yū.” Nishinoya grinned, adding, “So when my dad called Asahi’s dad to tell him what we were doing that night, Asahi’s dad just laughed.” Asahi frowned deeper. “Apparently, he said, ‘that’s my boy’, which only made Nishinoya-san more angry.”

The group laughed together, and as Daichi began telling the story of how Sugawara’s parents found out, the doorbell rang once more. Tsukishima shot Nishinoya a questioning glance, and Nishinoya shrugged, “I dunno. I didn’t invite anyone else. Did any of you…?”. The doorbell rang again as the group exchanged head shakes. Tsukishima stood up and went to answer the door. Akiteru had emerged from his room to answer the door, but Kei called, “I got it”. He couldn’t imagine who was at the door, and who it could be that was ringing the doorbell so many times.

Tsukki stepped down to the entry way and called out, "Coming!". He unlocked the door and pulled it towards him, but as the door clicked open, he suddenly got a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach...

 


	4. Blood, Sweat, and Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visitor turns everything upside down.

The group heard a loud _thud_ , followed immediately by yelling. Nishinoya was the first to reach the front hall, where he saw Hinata’s dad kneeling over Tsukishima, who was splayed out on the floor, holding him up by the collar of his shirt. “I _said,_ where’s my son?!” _,_ growled the older man as he drew his fist back.

Before he knew what had happened, the redheaded man had been knocked backwards. When he sat up, he saw a large group of men seemingly materialize out of thin air, most of whom appeared to be high school students.

Though Nishinoya had been the fastest, he was trailed very quickly by almost everyone in the livingroom; Sugawara, Daichi, Asahi, and Ukai all bolted from the couches they were on, Yamaguchi and Tanaka scrambled up from their seats on the floor, and Akiteru, upon hearing the sudden noise, ran from his room as well. There wasn’t any time to think; before he knew what had happened, Nishinoya had rushed Hinata’s father, throwing all of his weight into knocking the older man over. Ukai, Daichi, and Asahi quickly ran over to help up and hold back Hinata’s dad, while the rest remained to try to see if Tsukishima was okay.

As the others ran off, both Takeda and Kageyama looked to Hinata, only to find him frozen in place, face drained of all color, quivering slightly. Both rushed to his side and reassured him as best as they could as they listened in on what was happening down the hall.

It took Tsukki a few seconds to get a grip on reality; he’d been sucker punched so hard that his head actually hit the ground. As soon as everything stopped spinning (or at least, as soon as the spinning slowed a bit), Tsukki propped himself up on his right elbow and sighed to himself, “what a pain…”. Akiteru ran to help him up, but Tsukki shook off his brother’s offer. He could hear some sort of clamor from a few feet away and knew he needed to be able to deal with it on his own. A few more seconds later, Tsukishima finally staggered to his feet after pushing himself up off the ground. He wiped his mouth and was stunned by the amount of blood that was on his arm; though he could taste the familiar taste of metal in his mouth, he wasn’t in any pain.

At this point, Ukai, Daichi, and Asahi had helped Hinata’s father to his feet, and both of the former third years had a firm grip on each of his arms as he furiously struggled against them to reach the blonde. Ukai stood between the two in order to act as a failsafe; if either one of the men managed to get past those around them, he’d be there as a last resort to keep them apart.

Hinata’s father had been complaining loudly since the moment he was sitting upright, but as soon as he saw Tsukishima rise to his feet, he was totally engulfed in rage. “Tsukishima, you fucking coward!”, he roared, saliva spraying everywhere as he spat out his words, “You wouldn’t be standing now if you didn’t have so many people here to save your sorry ass! I want my son _now!_ ”. Tsukki’s head was still spinning, both from the fall and the massive internal struggle he was faced with. On the one hand, he still wanted to kill Hinata’s father for the things he’d said and done the day prior to Shōyō. However, his mother’s voice continued to call out from the back of his mind, saying, _“at the end of the day, that’s Shōyō’s father... maybe one day he’ll realize the error of his ways... you need to be there to help Shōyō through it…”._

This whole situation was beyond annoying. Tsukki wanted to protect his beloved ball of sunshine, of course, but that didn’t take away from his frustration. He hated people who were needlessly emotional, yet still he found himself completely consumed by his own emotions, unable to simply shrug off Hinata’s nuisance of a father as he would’ve liked. All Tsukishima could do was try to steady his breathing.

As the man before him raged, Tsukishima lurched forward and, with a cool, malicious smile, said calmly, “I thought Shōyō told you yesterday-- you don’t have a son anymore.” This only served to enrage Hinata’s father further, increasing his struggle against Asahi and Daichi’s grips. “How _dare_ you refer to my _son_ in such a familiar manner?! If you weren’t such a coward, I’d have your head, you fucking fag!”, the redheaded man roared. Suga and Yamaguchi recoiled at the harshness of the words Hinata’s dad had chosen.

Tsukki laughed condescendingly, taking another step to close the gap between them. “Why shouldn’t I refer to him familiarly”, he sneered, “when I’m _completely familiar_ with him.” At this, Hinata’s father broke free from the two men who were restraining him and surged forward, only to be stopped by Coach Ukai. “That’s enough, Tsukishima”, Ukai warned, after his brief struggle to push the older man backwards. Turning on the redheaded man, Ukai spoke. “Hinata-sama, I am only going to ask you once to leave this house”, the blonde coach said sternly, “This is a fight you do not want to pick. Every one of these men would die for Shōyō, and I really doubt that you can take on ten men at a time.” Hinata’s father stopped struggling, seeing the truth in Ukai’s words. The older man scowled at the object of his hatred. “I _will_ be back-- with the police!”, he threatened. Tsukki raised a condescending eyebrow at the older man, a smile curling up at the edge of his lips. “On what basis?”, he heard Akiteru ask. “Kidnapping!!!”, bellowed the older man. “My son is a _minor_ , and he does **not** have my permission to be here!!!”

“I’m turning 18 in two weeks, Dad”, came a shaky voice from the back of the group. Hinata’s legs had moved of their own accord, bringing him to the commotion. The group parted, allowing Hinata a clear view of his dad. He walked forward, stopping next to Kei, who, at that moment, suddenly became aware of the dripping sensation coming from his chin. “Do you really think that anyone who can enforce that is going to side with you?”.

“You’re **not** 18 yet-- until that day, I can do whatever the hell I want with you!”, snarled Hinata’s father. Shōyō shook his head. “No”, he said quietly, “You can’t. I had to go to the hospital last night. They have records of what you did to me. I didn’t tell them who did it, but if you push this, I will. And I’ll press charges. And then no judge will let you within ten feet of me.”

Tsukishima was astonished by how bold Hinata was being. The redhead was speaking calmly and rationally as he clearly stated that he was choosing Tsukishima over his own family. It made Tsukki’s heart skip. “In fact”, Shōyō said coolly, “I’ll be over later to get my stuff.” “What do you mean, ‘get your stuff’?!”, spat the older man. Cocking his head slightly, Hinata said, “I don’t know how else to say that. I’ll be over later to get my stuff. I’m moving out, and I’m not coming back.” “Like hell you are!”, raged the older man. Hinata shook his head. “I’m dead serious. If you bring me back home, I will leave again. I’ll do this forever if I have to. But the fact is, you don’t _have_ forever. I’ll be 18 before you can even get a court date.” Hinata paused for a moment and took Tsukishima’s hand in his own. His father started towards the couple, then stopped, clearly thinking better of it. “The damage is already done”, the redhead said solemnly, “and nothing you can do will ever change that. If you ever want a relationship with me, it’s going to be on _my_ terms now. And my first term is that you need to apologize, both to me and to Kei.” “Like hell I will!”, roared the elder Hinata, as he spat at the ground at Tsukki’s feet, “You’re dead to me, Shōyō, _dead!”._ Hinata shrugged. “Then I guess you don’t mind if I come get my stuff.”

With that, the young redhead turned away from his father and began walking back towards the living room, hand in hand with his beloved boyfriend. To Tsukishima, Shōyō had never looked cooler than he did in that moment, even if Tsukki could feel the redhead’s hands shaking as they walked away.

Hinata’s father was furious; his face was practically the color of his hair as he shouted after them, “Just you wait, Tsukishima Kei, just you wait! You think this is over?! No one takes _my_ child from me! One day, when you least expect it, you’ll get what’s coming to you!”

Ukai, Akiteru, Daichi, and Asahi showed Hinata’s father off of the property and watched him drive away before returning to the house. When they reentered the Tsukishima home, they were horrified to see a small pool of blood followed by a trail of blood drops leading back to the living room. “Ah-- I’ll clean it up!”, exclaimed Akiteru as he ran to the kitchen to get disinfectant. The other three followed the trail back to the living room, where they found half of the group crowded around Tsukishima as he held a towel to his face.

“Um… where’s everyone else?”, asked Ukai, looking around and noting that Sugawara, Yamaguchi, Kageyama, and Hinata were nowhere to be seen, while Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Takeda stood around Tsukishima as he sat in one of the chairs he’d brought from the kitchen. “Hinata’s throwing up”, Takeda frowned, “I’d be there with them, but you know--” “Sensitive stomach”, Ukai nodded, finishing his colleague’s sentence. “Are you okay, Tsukki?”, asked Daichi as he went over and sat in the seat Hinata had been in. Tsukishima nodded, though the hand of his that was free was clenched in a fist so tight that all but his knuckles was completely white. “Well… if you want to talk, we’re here for you”, Daichi said gently. Tsukki mumbled ‘thanks’ through the towel; Daichi then turned to Asahi. “Ace, you need to sit down”, he said sternly. Asahi nodded and slowly moved himself to the nearest couch; when the of the group turned to see what Daichi was talking about, they discovered that his pallor was a sickly white, nearing a pale green. Nishinoya laughed as he accompanied his boyfriend on the couch. “He never was good with confrontation”, the libero grinned. After a moment though, Nishinoya appended, “Oh, shit, are you okay? Are you gonna puke?”. “Don’t say that word”, Asahi groaned, “or I might--” “...Puke?”, asked a concerned Nishinoya. He didn’t say it to be malicious, but to try to help Asahi by finishing his sentence. This, of course, only had the opposite effect on the tall, sensitive man, who then ran into the kitchen, followed closely by his partner. The rest of the group cringed as they heard him vomit into the garbage can.  

“What a shit show…”, mumbled Tsukishima to himself.

Every couple of minutes, Takeda would have Tsukishima remove the towel, only to find that it was still gushing blood. “Tsukishima-kun”, he said worriedly after the third time repeating the process, “I think we’re gonna have to go to the hospital and get you stitches…”. “No”, Tsukki mumbled into the towel, “I can’t do that. ....That’ll only make Shōyō feel shittier.” Kei didn’t dare reveal to the others that his head had been spinning since it hit the floor; if a small cut was bad enough to worry them this much, a possible concussion would have them calling an ambulance immediately.

“Speaking of Hinata...”, said Tanaka, peering down the hallway, “He’s been in the bathroom for a long time…”. At this, Tsukishima stood up. Finally lifting his gaze from the floor, he looked to those around him, bowed slightly, and said, “Please excuse me for a moment”, through the towel before turning and walking down the hall towards the bathroom. He paused at the door for a moment before knocking; he didn’t hear Hinata throwing up, though he was certain the redhead was crying.

“Yes?”, came Sugawara’s voice. “Ah-- um-- it’s me-- can I come in?”, Tsukki asked, unsure of how to properly address the situation. He could hear whispering for a moment before Yamaguchi opened the door. Inside the bathroom, Hinata, Sugawara, and Kageyama were all seated on the floor, while Hinata sobbed quietly into Suga’s chest. “Ah”, smiled Suga, “I’ll let you take this from here… in fact-- boys, let’s give them some space, huh?”. Sugawara pulled away from Hinata and smiled gently at him before standing up. As he walked past Tsukishima, he patted the tall blonde on the shoulder, then followed the other two out, shutting the door behind him.

Tsukki moved slowly, sitting down beside Hinata who had yet to even look at him. He’d been careful to seat himself right up against the wall, that he could rest his aching head as he comforted his beloved. Ever so slowly, he tilted his head backwards and shut his eyes; he raised one knee so he could prop his elbow up on it as he held the compress in place. After a moment of silence, Tsukishima peered over towards the redhead and said, “Shoy--”. At this point, Hinata finally looked up at him. The small redhead’s eyes were bloodshot and his face was deeply flushed as a seemingly neverending stream of tears made its way down his face. “I’m so sorry”, Hinata sobbed. Tsukishima pulled Hinata into him, holding him tightly with his free arm while he pressed his compress on even harder with the other. “For what? It’s not like you told your dad to come over...”. Hinata shook his head, only repeating “I’m sorry” as he sobbed into Tsukishima’s shirt. “Shōyō, stop, it’s okay”, Tsukishima whispered, wishing more than anything that they’d never had anyone over, and that it was just the two of them. The knowledge that other people were there waiting for them made him feel like he was being timed on how quickly he could cheer his boyfriend up.

Hinata sobbed quietly for several minutes, his tears drenching Tsukishima’s t-shirt. The world was still spinning, but Tsukki did his best to comfort Hinata, rubbing his back and stroking his hair with his free hand. After several minutes, Hinata finally sobbed, “It’s _all_ my fault! I-- I should’ve thought about him just showing up like that! I should’ve _told_ Mr. Matsuki not to tell my parents! I should’ve just ‘yes’ed my father to death and then saw you secretly! I should’ve--” “You should’ve never said yes when I asked you out, then”, Tsukki said quietly. Hinata sat back and looked up at his boyfriend. “W- what?”, he asked, tears bursting from his eyes. Tsukishima picked his head up and slowly lifted his eyelids, looking his boyfriend in the eye as he calmly replied, “You’re talking about all of these things you ‘should’ve’ done. Well, the root of all of the problems is us dating, so if you’re going to regret anything, you should start there.” Tsukishima could see Hinata’s heart breaking through his eyes. It pained him immensely, but as his heart panged, he reminded himself that he was doing what he had to do. “K- Kei… you don’t _mean_ that, right? You… you don’t mean that we never should’ve dated?”.

Tsukki had found the winning combination to instantly cheering Hinata up almost a year prior, but he still hated using it, as it only served to remind him that the poor little redhead was so easily manipulated, and it made Tsukishima sick. When trying to calm Hinata down, all Tsukishima ever had to do was hurt him and then retract his statement. Afterwards he was free to discuss logical solutions to whatever was plaguing the redhead, or shower him with love and convince him that whatever he was fretting about would be _fine_. He didn’t enjoy hurting Hinata, and after realizing that they were repeating the same cycles time and time again every time the emotional redhead began crying, he vowed only to use this method when it was absolutely necessary.  That didn’t mean it didn’t break his own heart in the process.

Tsukki moved his towel away and leaned in, pressing his forehead against Hinata’s. “I don’t, you dumbass”, he said quietly and slowly, shutting his eyes as Hinata pressed against him as well. “All I’m saying, is… well-- there’s no point in regretting things. You can’t change the past. Of course it would’ve have been better if your parents never found out about us. But they did. And now we have to move forward.” Hinata was studying what he could see of Tsukishima’s face as he spoke. The redhead couldn’t get over how incredibly handsome his boyfriend was; _how did he get a boyfriend that was so good looking?_ He knew it was neither the time nor place to be drooling over his significant other, but he couldn’t help himself. When the room fell silent, Hinata finally coaxed his brain to focus on other things, like the conversation he was in the middle of. “But… what does that mean?”, he asked quietly, feeling his mouth dry up as he struggled against himself to _not_ lean in and kiss Tsukishima.  “Well”, started Tsukki, opening his eyes before pulling his head back gently, replacing his compress the moment there was enough room, “you said we were going to go get your stuff. That’s a good place to start. And then… I dunno, we’ll just take it a day at a time from there.”

Tsukishima watched as Hinata seemed to digest his words, and noted that the tears were indeed slowing. “Kei”, Hinata whispered before looking up at the blonde, “let me see your lip.” Tsukishima swallowed hard. _He_ didn’t even know how bad his lip looked; all he knew was that it had been bleeding pretty heavily for over half an hour, and that it was starting to hurt like hell. “Come on”, Tsukki said, getting to his feet, “we don’t have time for that right now. We have people waiting on us and--” “I don’t care”, Hinata said, joining Tsukishima in standing upright. “Let me see”. Tsukki sighed before slowly removing the blood-soaked towel. Hinata gasped and briefly looked as if he was about to faint before tears started rushing down his face once more. The redhead threw himself to Tsukishima and, through his sobs, cried, “I’m so, so sorry! I’m sorry! Oh my God, Kei, I’m so sorry!”. Tsukki turned to look in the mirror and found that his new wound did look pretty disgusting. The flow of blood seemed to be slowing, though, so maybe he _could_ get off without going to the hospital. He only hoped that the dizziness would begin to taper off as well.

“Come on, Shōyō”, Tsukishima groaned, replacing the towel once more, “we really don’t have time for this. Let’s just go, and when we come home you can cry all you want.” Hinata shook his head as he clung to the blonde. “I can’t”, he cried, “I’m so sorry!”. Tsukishima blinked slowly. What the hell was he supposed to do?

“Alright, well. You stay here, then. _I’m_ gonna go and apologize to everyone for all the bullshit they had to witness here today”, Tsukki said, prying himself free of the redhead’s grasp. As he neared the bathroom door, the voice behind him called, “W- wait! Just… just give me a second. I’m coming…”.

Hearing that Tsukishima intended to apologize to everyone made Hinata’s stomach turn; _what did Tsukki think he had to apologize for, anyway? Loving Hinata? Getting punched in the face?_ In truth, Tsukishima just wanted to apologize for the terrible turn of events that, he was sure, had upset everyone around them, and for not being able to be a better host. Tsukishima’s words shook Hinata, reminding him that he was not the only person suffering, and making the small redhead realize that his boyfriend was doing everything in his power to shoulder all of the responsibility for why Hinata’s relationship with his parents was destroyed. Hinata wiped his tears from his face, then took Tsukishima’s hand. “Okay”, he said, feigning a smile, “I’m ready.”

When the couple finally emerged from the bathroom, they were surprised to find the whole group-- Akiteru included-- standing huddled together in the front hallway. The group went silent when they noticed the two approaching. Daichi, who’d had his back to the couple, turned around and took a step towards the younger boys.

“We’re coming with you”, he announced. Tsukki and Hinata exchanged glances before Hinata asked, “Um… where?”. “To get your stuff!”, chimed Suga as he stepped forward to join Daichi. Now Takeda stepped forward. “And to take Tsukishima to the hospital.” Tsukki shook his head as much as he dared. “Sorry, I appreciate the thought, but I’m not going to the hospital. I don’t even need to anymore, it’s finally slowing down.” He pulled the towel from his mouth and Takeda shook his own head. “You _do_ need to. If you don’t get that treated, at the very least you’re gonna have a terrible scar for the rest of your life. So a few of us are gonna take you to the hospital, and the rest of us are gonna take Hinata-kun to get his stuff.” Again Tsukki shook his head, this time a little bit more than he had before. “Listen-- with all due respect-- I need to be there with Shōyō. I need to keep him safe.”

Now Ukai stepped forward, folding his arms over his puffed-out chest. “Tsukishima, I understand how you must be feeling right now-- I _do_ . But are you telling me that you don't trust the men in front of you to protect Hinata with all they have? And-- I mean-- do you _honestly_ believe that his dad is even gonna try anything with so many of us there?”. Tsukishima fell silent and looked to the floor. “Akiteru-san and Yamaguchi will be going with you. _Everyone else_ will be going with Hinata. I promise you, I _personally_ will ensure that he comes back here safe and sound. But you need to take care of yourself as well. You said Hinata would feel bad if you had to go to the hospital. Don't you think he’d feel even worse if you _bled to death?”_ Tsukishima frowned and mumbled, “I’m not gonna…”. “Kei…”, came a quiet voice from beside him, as his left hand was squeezed tightly by an incredible warmth. “... _please.”_

Hinata didn't have any other words to try to convince Tsukishima. He was doing everything he possibly could to hold back the tears that were threatening to come forth; no matter what happened, he didn't want to cry in front of everyone. It was bad enough that he’d already cried in front of Suga, Yams, and Kageyama. This struggle was not overlooked by Tsukishima, whose heart ached to see the redhead in even more pain. Tsukki pulled his hand back from Hinata before plunging it into the pocket of his pants.

“Okay”, Tsukishima said, “but here”. The blonde placed his cell phone in the palm of Hinata’s hand. “I want you to call me and check in. You know how long we were in the hospital for yesterday.” Hinata cocked his head. “How… am I supposed to call you, if I have your phone?”, the redhead asked, squinting at the device in his palm. Tsukki nodded to the group in front of them. “Both Akiteru and Yamaguchi will be with me. You can call them, and this way I can call you if I get worried.” Ukai grinned and stepped forward. Placing a hand on each boy’s head, he rustled their hair and said, “Good solution-- I’m proud of you boys!”.

Unfortunately, he was a little zealous in his affection, causing Tsukishima to stagger back and grip the wall for support. “Kei?!”, Hinata cried. Tsukki removed the towel and held his hand up, asking for a moment before he had to respond and space in the interim. When he finally felt he could speak without throwing up, he quietly said, “It’s nothing. I’m just feeling… a little bit dizzy. That’s all.” Takeda and Ukai exchanged worried glances, and Akiteru stepped forward. “Come on, let’s get going. My car’s out front.”

Ukai then took over, designating who was going in whose car, reminding everyone of basic behavioral rules, and so on. Tsukki and Hinata exchanged a glance across the hall, prompting the redhead to speak out. “Um-- Coach?”, he asked meekly, “Can Tsukki and I meet you all outside? I just… want to talk to him for a second.” The blonde coach paused for a moment before nodding. “Okay, but-- make it quick. Tsukishima’s put off the whole ‘hospital thing’ for long enough as it is.” Hinata and Tsukki agreed to be outside as quickly as possible, and with that, everyone moved outside, as if they were a herd of sheep.

Tsukishima finally allowed himself to slide down the length of the wall he’d been standing against, closing his eyes as he rested his head once more. With a gentle force, Hinata parted the blonde’s knees and knelt between Tsukki’s legs. He wrapped his arms around Kei’s neck and pressed his head to the blonde’s shoulder. Tsukki, in turn, returned the hug, wrapping his free arm around the redhead and pulling him close.

“I love you”, Hinata whispered. Tsukki smiled softly. “Then all of this is worth it”, the blonde whispered back.

 


	5. Separation Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima goes to the hospital, while Hinata goes to his parent's house to get his things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Note: Hinata and Tsukishima text back and forth often in this chapter. However, Hinata is using Tsukishima's phone and Tsukishima is using Akiteru's phone. The way I've chosen to format the texts is:_
> 
> **Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ (12:34pm): [TEXT FROM TSUKKI]  
>  **Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ (12:35pm): [TEXT FROM HINATA]  
>     
>  _The name in parentheses is the one sending the text, where the name in bold is whose phone it is. The names that the Tsukishima brothers have each other as in their phones is taken from Solar Flare :P I hope I didn't make this too confusing!_

_'Ugh, second time at the hospital in 24 hours' ,_ Tsukishima Kei thought to himself as he sat reclined in the front seat of his brother’s car. Akiteru, who was normally a fairly cautious driver, seemed to be going much faster than he should’ve been as the Tsukishima brothers and Yamaguchi sped through the streets of Sendai. “Why didn’t you tell anyone you hit your head?!”, admonished the older blonde as he maneuvered the car towards the hospital. Tsukki shrugged. His head hurt. Why did he have to be answering questions when he felt so shitty?

“I thought it might lead to another annoyance”, the blonde sighed, “and, look at that, I was right”. “Kei!”, came a voice from the back seat, “What is wrong with you?! Would you honestly rather _die?!_ ”. Yamaguchi had no patience for Tsukki’s generally self-serving attitude in that moment as he scolded his best friend. Again Kei shrugged. “A little”, he replied dryly, before rolling his head back towards the window. “Not funny”, Yamaguchi protested, glaring at the back of Tsukki’s head.

The car was silent for a while, with the exception of the general sounds that came with driving, before Kei spoke once more. “Akiteru…”, he said quietly, “...please don’t tell mom. At least-- not while she’s at work.” The older blonde glanced to his brother then quickly back to the road. “I won’t”, he reassured gently, “but I can’t make any promises about her coworkers.” Tsukki groaned and leaned his head back against the headrest. “Someone’s definitely gonna recognize me”, he said. “Why?”, came the voice from the back seat once more. “We had to come here yesterday after Shōyō got to my house”, Kei replied, switching his compress from his left hand to his right.

Yamaguchi frowned deeply and said, “Um… you both _completely_ left that out of your stories!”. Tsukki rolled his head back to look at his best friend. “Shōyō didn’t want it to seem like a big deal. He doesn’t like sympathy. But-- his dad hurt him really bad. In addition to our matching lips, he also pushed Hinata through their coffee table, and he got a horrible bruise on his back. My mom was worried that he ruptured something because of how dark it was. He’s fine, of course-- just some really bad bruising-- but unless today’s workers are _completely_ different from those who were in the emergency room yesterday, someone’s gonna recognize me and I’m gonna have to do some explaining.”

“Well”, Akiteru said as he turned onto the hospital’s main drive, “to be fair, it is only 6:00 right now… I wouldn’t be surprised if this was still the day shift. So maybe you might get off lucky.” “I hope so”, grumbled the younger blonde.

 _'I didn’t even want to come to the hospital in the first place',_ Tsukki thought to himself as he changed into a gown. He’d been rushed into a treatment room and was waiting for the doctor to come give him stitches.

 _'I wanted to go with Shōyō. I wanted to make sure he was safe'._ He took out Akiteru’s phone from his pants pockets as he undressed. Once he was finished changing, he sent a quick text to his own phone before climbing back into the bed.

 **Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(6:05pm):** Is everything okay?  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:06pm):** yea, we just got 2 my house  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:06pm):** ***my parents house  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(6:07pm):** That’s right. Your home is with me now.  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:08pm):** alwys has been ( ˘ ³˘)♥”  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:08pm):** ill text u when im done getting my stuff, good luck at the hospitle! ೕ(•̀ᴗ•́)”

Tsukki sighed as he leaned back into the hospital stretcher and pulled the covers over his legs. “Okay”, he called loudly, “I’m done”. Tsukki studied his brief conversation with Hinata as Akiteru and Yamaguchi reentered the room. _'How the fuck does he make those happy faces on_ **_my_ ** _phone?',_ he wondered to himself.

 

* * * 

 

The car ride to Hinata’s family home had been nerve-wracking. Hinata sat next to Kageyama in the back of Ukai’s van, while Daichi sat in the front seat and Sugawara sat in the middle row. Takeda had taken Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Asahi in his own car. The group _could_ have fit in Ukai’s van together, but it would’ve been a tight squeeze and realistically there wouldn’t have been any room for Hinata’s stuff. Although everyone in the group wanted to be close to Hinata to show their support, it just made more sense to take separate vehicles.

Hinata’s heart was racing, but as they turned onto his street, he began to think that maybe he should’ve gone with Tsukishima to the hospital after all. _“Hey”,_ Kageyama said quietly. The redhead turned and looked to his setter, who wore a grim scowl. “.......it’ll be okay”, Kageyama said before quickly looking back out the window. Hinata smiled softly. Kageyama was not the best with words, but it meant a lot to Hinata that the surly setter was even trying.

As Ukai pulled up in front of Hinata’s childhood home, the redhead breathed a sigh of relief. “My dad isn’t here”, he said quietly, noting the absence of their family car. Ukai nodded. “Well, that will make things a bit easier, then.”

When the whole group was together once more, Coach Ukai folded his arms and, looking to his team, said, “Okay, so here’s the plan: I’m going to go with Hinata to the door. If his mom’s home, we’ll assess the situation and go from there. But if no one is home, we’ll all go together. Hinata, you need to just focus on packing whatever is yours. As soon as you get some of your stuff together, hand it to anyone, and we’ll all help carry things out.” Hinata nodded, but Takeda, after looking around, nervously said, “Um- Hinata-kun… I _did_ hear you say that you went to the hospital last night, correct?”. The redhead nodded. “Maybe… you shouldn’t be doing as much moving around… why don’t you take a few people in with you to help you pack as well?”. At this, Hinata frowned. “I can do it”, he protested quietly. This time Ukai shook his head. “No, no, good call, Sensei. If you have an injury that was bad enough that you had to go to the hospital for it _less than 24 hours ago,_ you definitely don’t belong doing physical labor. So… Kageyama, Sugawara, I want both of you by his side. Don’t let him do too much on his own.” As the two setters nodded in affirmation, Hinata couldn’t help but wish that Tsukishima was with him. Tsukki always knew what was best for Hinata and aggressively advocated on his behalf when necessary. And while he was sure that the blonde wouldn’t let him pack his own stuff either, Tsukishima would be sure to do everything for the redhead himself both carefully and lovingly.

Hinata pulled out Tsukki’s phone.

 **Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:13pm):** I miss you

Hinata was careful to type out each and every letter, hoping that his uncharacteristic precision would convey the message a little bit deeper. He really, _really_ missed his boyfriend.

After he was sure the message sent, he put the phone back in his pocket, then drew his left wrist up to his mouth. He gently pressed his lips to the red bracelet he’d been wearing for nearly a year and a half. The threads were greatly faded since he purchased it, but that didn’t matter. For now, it was his closest link to the boy he loved so deeply and missed so much it hurt.

As he began walking towards the front door, he nervously fingered the loop, hoping that Kei would somehow be able to feel his presence and send him some sort of comfort.

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima jumped when the phone beside him buzzed once more, just a few minutes after his conversation with Hinata had ended. His heart ached when he read the message sent to him by Shōyō.

 **Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(6:14pm)** : I miss you more

Tsukishima found himself struggling to fight back tears as he clicked ‘send’. He really missed Hinata. Hinata was always the best at helping Tsukki take his mind off of things. The tall blonde was feeling really emotional and really vulnerable as he laid in the hospital bed. He wanted to be beside Hinata. He wanted to make sure he was okay while he packed his stuff. He wanted to help cheer up the redhead as they worked, and repay Hinata for all the times he’d distracted Tsukki from terrible thoughts. He stared fixedly at the bracelet attached to his right wrist, wishing more than anything that its counterpart were with him.

A knock came on the door to Tsukishima’s room. “Tsukishima-san?”, came the solemn, dreary voice of the doctor who entered. “Hi there, I’m Dr. Watanabe.” The grey-haired man looked up from the chart in his hand and frowned. “...weren’t you here yesterday?”, he asked, studying Tsukishima’s face. Tsukki also frowned, though his expression was largely hidden behind his compress. “Um- yes. I was here with my friend.” _Ugh,_ **_friend_ ** _. That word hurt to say._ “...and here you are, with the same injury he had, correct?”. Tsukki smiled politely, and replied, “Well, kind of.” Tsukki adjusted his positioning on the bed and pulled the towel slightly away from his mouth so he could enunciate his words better. “My… _friend…_ had a split lip, but my mom bandaged him up at home before we came here. But my lip won’t stop bleeding.” The doctor nodded and approached the bed; Tsukki removed the towel completely, giving the doctor full view of his wound. “Wow, this is pretty impressive, Tsukishima-san. Can I ask how you obtained such a cut?”. Kei shrugged. “Same way Hinata did. Got in a fight.” The doctor frowned once more. “You know I’m going to have to send in social workers again, right?”, he asked sternly. The doctor walked across the room and grabbed a pair of gloves, slipping them on before returning to Tsukishima. “Don’t bother”, Tsukki said as the doctor tilted his face upwards in order to get a better view of his laceration, “I’m not being abused and I don’t want to press charges. I just got sucker punched by an asshole.” _“Kei!”,_ admonished Akiteru, frowning at his younger brother’s language. Tsukki, however, shrugged. “It’s what happened.”

Dr. Watanabe pulled off his gloves and instructed Tsukishima to replace the compress for a moment. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time. Your story obviously coincides with your friend’s. But if I see either of you here in the near future, I _am_ going to get a caseworker involved.” Tsukki nodded. “Fair enough”, the blonde said, “I’m not planning on being punched in the face again any time soon, so don’t expect to see us.” The doctor nodded. He scribbled down some notes in his chart before looking back up at the blonde. “I’ll be back in in a few minutes to stitch up your lip, and then you’ll be free to go.”

Across the room, Akiteru cocked his head. “Wait-- I’m sorry-- you’re not doing any testing to make sure his head’s okay?”. “His head…?”, repeated the doctor. Tsukki frowned and leaned back in the bed. “Yeah”, answered Akiteru, “when he checked in, didn’t he say that he hurt his lip and his head?”. The doctor flipped through his chart as Kei sighed, “No, I didn’t tell them about my head.” Yamaguchi glared daggers at his best friend, while Akiteru stood and crossed the room. “What?! Why not?!”, the older brother exclaimed in frustration. Tsukki rolled his eyes. “I told you before-- it seemed like it’d be a lot more trouble if I _did_ tell people. I just want to get home.” Frowning, Dr. Watanabe clicked his tongue and scribbled a few more notes in the chart. “Well, first thing’s first, we’ll sew up that cut. Then we’ll send you for some diagnostic imaging just to make sure everything’s okay.” The doctor dug in his pocket for a moment before pulling out what looked to be a pen. He clicked a button, though, and it revealed itself to be a small flashlight. “Follow the light with your eyes”, he instructed before trailing the light left, right, up, and down in front of Tsukki’s face. “Hmm”, he said to himself as he looked intensely at Tsukishima. “Alright. Like I said, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m gonna send someone in to do some bloodwork as well.”

With that, the doctor excused himself. As soon as the door shut, Akiteru glared at his brother. “So _that’s_ why you wanted me to drop you off at the front before I parked…”, the older blonde groaned. He then tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling as he tried to relax. From his seat at the foot of Tsukki’s bed, Yamaguchi asked, “Tsukki, I know you’re worried about Shō, but don’t you trust that everyone is gonna take care of him?”. “It’s not like that…”, Kei said, frowning. “What is it, then?”, asked Akiteru, studying his younger brother’s face. Tsukki leaned forward and stared into his lap. “I just don’t trust anyone else in this world to care about him the way that I do. That’s it.” “Kei”, started Akiteru once more, “it’s not like we’re questioning how much you care for him or anything. No one’s trying to take your place. It’s just--” “No”, interrupted Tsukki as he shifted uncomfortably in the bed, “That’s not what I mean at all. That’s not what I’m saying. It’s just… Nobody else can be there for him in the ways that I am. Nobody else is capable of telling what he needs when he needs it. This is literally the worst thing Shōyō has had to go through, I think, and he has to do it alone.” “But, he’s not alone…”, started Yamaguchi, only to be interrupted by Tsukki once more as he looked up to his companions. “He might as well be”, Kei said, “because without me, he’s gonna spend the entire time at his parents house trying to cheer everyone else up. He’s too concerned with how those around him are feeling and not nearly concerned enough about himself!”

“But… isn’t that what you’re doing?”, asked Akiteru upon seating himself next to Yamaguchi. Tsukki was silent for a moment. _'_ _Well, Akiteru got me there',_ he thought to himself, _'but this is different! Shōyō tries to take care of everyone around him… I just want to take care of Shōyō!'_

“You really love him, don’t you?”, came the voice of Akiteru as he watched his brother cycle emotions. Tsukki glared at his brother. “What are you going on about?”, he asked before gazing off in annoyance. Akiteru and Yamaguchi laughed and exchanged glances. Tsukki glared at the two, and through gritted teeth said, “What’s so funny?”. Before either boy could answer, though, a knock came on the door.

“Hello there, Tsukishima-san, I’ll be your nurse for this evening. I’m just gonna draw some blood and give you some pain medication so you won’t feel it when you get your stitches. Do you have an arm you pref-- hey, you look really familiar… weren’t you here yesterday?”

 

* * *

 

Hinata had been relieved beyond words to find that his mother wasn’t home-- neither was his father or Natsu. And while he longed to see his little sister, he knew that ultimately this was for the best; he would be able to get in and out with minimal distractions and minimal tears. All nine men entered the Hinata family home and stayed close to Hinata. “Now, remember”, warned Ukai, “Hinata isn’t allowed to do _anything._ Just sit there and direct Kageyama and Sugawara.” Hinata nodded, though he wasn’t happy about it.

Packing was actually relatively easy. All Hinata wanted were his clothes, his volleyball stuff, and everything Kei had ever given him (which, in and of itself, doubled the amount of stuff he intended to take with him).

As he packed, though, Hinata found an envelope on his bed with “Shōyō” written across the front in his mother’s handwriting. As Suga and Kageyama packed, Hinata carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. The first word his eyes fell on was the word ‘disgrace’. Seeing this, the redhead quickly shoved the paper back in its envelope, folded it, and shoved it in his pocket. _He’d deal with that later._

All in all, packing took the boys less than 45 minutes from the moment they stepped in the front door to the moment they were all packed up in their respective vehicles. When Hinata was seated in Ukai’s van once more, he found that he was no longer feeling hurt or scared. In fact, he wasn’t feeling anything at all except for the profound emptiness left by Kei’s absence. As the group headed back to the Tsukishima home, Hinata pulled out Tsukki’s phone.

 **Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:54pm):** hey were all done. i just got my close n stuff. no1 was home so their wasnt ne drama. I miss you. ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ

Somehow, texting Kei made Hinata feel even lonelier, especially as the time passed by without a response.

 

* * *

 

Tsukki didn’t reply to Hinata for over an hour; the redhead had texted Kei just a few minutes after he was taken for an MRI. Yamaguchi and Akiteru sat alone together in the exam room, chatting as they waited for Kei to return.

“Um, excuse me, Tsukishima-san?”, came the voice from another nurse who’d just entered the room. “Ah- um- my brother is still getting tested”, Akiteru said, to which the nurse nodded. “O- oh. Um. Would you happen to know if Tsukishima-san has any ID or anything? I just need to update his file…”. “I think he has his wallet… let me check”, the blonde said before standing and walking over to the bag that held Kei’s personal effects. He rooted through the bag for a moment before extracting what he was searching for: his younger brother’s wallet. He felt wrong for going through Kei’s stuff without his permission, but thought that this might be a reasonable exception. However, as he hastily opened the wallet, a small, golden ring fell out and bounced on the counter below. Both Akiteru and Yamaguchi stared at the object for a moment before the blonde turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He extracted Kei’s school ID and hand it to the young woman. “Oh! Great! Thank you! I’ll be back with this in a few minutes!”

As the young woman scurried off, Akiteru picked up the metal object and walked over to Yamaguchi. “Tadashi…”, he said as both stared fixedly at the palm of Akiteru’s hand, “...is this what I think it is?”. Yamaguchi swallowed hard and found that he couldn’t look away. This was just too unbelievable. “It… it looks like… a ring!”, exclaimed the freckle-faced teen.

“What looks like a ring?”, came an irate voice from the doorway. Under his breath, Akiteru groaned, “ _Of course he’d come back right now.”_ Tsukki had been wheeled into the room in a wheelchair at the most inopportune time imaginable. “Ah! Tsukki!”, exclaimed Yamaguchi as he jumped up. The look on his face was undeniably uncomfortable, and Akiteru swore he saw a shiver run up Tadashi’s spine. The older brother slowly turned around, revealing what he had in his hand. “This… fell out of your wallet… and…”, stuttered the older brother nervously as Tsukki climbed back into the bed.

All of a sudden, the annoyed look on Tsukki’s face faded to a neutral look of contentment. “Oh, that”, he replied, smiling softly. His lip had been sewn up, and though the wound itself was really quite ugly, he had at least stopped bleeding and finally was able to remove his compress. Akiteru and Yamaguchi exchanged confused glances before it dawned on them both: Tsukki had been given some pretty strong pain medication. It was only natural, then, that he was feeling a little bit more… _relaxed._

“Um… so… _why_ do you have this in your wallet?”, asked Akiteru as he crossed the room once more, tucking the object back into its dwelling within his brother’s wallet. Tsukki stared at Akiteru confusedly for a moment. “So I can ask Shōyō to marry me?”, Kei replied, cocking head as if that were the only logical answer. Akiteru and Yamaguchi both gasped. “What?!”, Yamaguchi cried happily. “Why do you seem so surprised?”, asked Tsukki with a scowl. “I just-- I-- I dunno! I didn’t think you’d be planning something like that so soon!”, Yamaguchi stammered in excitement. The tall blonde shrugged. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure we’re together as long as possible”, he admitted, “and marriage is like, the most obvious way to do that.” “But you’re both so young…”, started Akiteru, who’d just sat down beside Yamaguchi once more, “...when did you start thinking things like this?”. Tsukki was silent for a long while before looking up and grinning. “I bought the ring when we went to Tokyo for your business trip. I guess it’s been on my mind ever since.” At this revelation, both Yamaguchi and Akiteru jumped up. “You what?!” “No way!” “You weren’t even together a month then!” Kei laughed cheerily. “I know, I know. But I can’t imagine myself with anyone else _but_ Shōyō. He’s the only person I’ve ever liked, and at this point I honestly don’t think I could live without him.” Tsukki shuddered theatrically. “If you’d said that to me a year and a half ago, though, I probably would’ve punched you in the face”, he said, grinning. Akiteru raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that punching someone in the face is the threat you want to use right now?”, he asked with a laugh. “Oh, _ha ha_.”, Tsukki groaned, rolling his eyes.

As they spoke, the blonde had been playing with his bracelet absent-mindedly, as he tended to do whenever he and Shōyō were apart. “Oh”, he said quietly, “Nii-san, where’s your phone?”. A look of pure joy overtook Akiteru’s face. “ _Nii-san?”,_ he repeated happily. Tsukki scowled, _“You_ , dumbass. You are my brother, right?”. Akiteru couldn’t shake his grin as he said, “Yeah, but when’s the last time you called me ‘nii-san’? Like, ten years ago?”.  Kei rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Nii-san... Asshat... whatever you want to be called, _may I please have your phone?”_ . Tsukki was getting annoyed. He knew he was being a little bit… _friendlier_ than usual, but he couldn’t help it. Ever since he got the medication, he was feeling really silly. It didn’t hurt when the doctor sewed up his lip, and while he was still feeling pretty dizzy, it was less nauseating and more like being on a carnival ride.

“You uh… you feeling okay there, Tsukki?”, asked Yamaguchi with a wild grin on his face, while Akiteru handed his phone to his brother. “Yeah, why?”, Tsukki asked, smiling as well for no apparent reason. “I dunno”, laughed Yamaguchi, “you seem to be in a really good mood.” Tsukki shrugged. “I guess I am”, he grinned. Akiteru and Yamaguchi exchanged glances that said: _yes, we are most definitely going to take advantage of him in this situation._

The two boys chatted amongst themselves as Kei studied Akiteru’s phone. The look on his face was obvious: he’d missed a message from Hinata while he was gone. In fact, Tsukki had missed three texts and a phone call.  
  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(6:54pm):** hey were all done. i just got my close n stuff. no1 was home so their wasnt ne drama. i miss u ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:01pm):** hows the hospitle going?  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:07pm):** kei? r u ok?  
**Missed call from Ototokun at 7:15pm.** ****

**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:40pm)** : Oh my God, Shō, I’m so sorry  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:41pm)** : I had an MRI so I was out of the room for over an hour  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:41pm)** : Are you okay, my love?

Tsukki sat there and waited anxiously, completely ignoring his company, until a response came.

 **Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:44pm)** : omg kei i was so worried (´；Д；｀)  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:45pm):** im so sorry baby  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:45pm):** i had an mri  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:46pm)** : lol babes you said that already  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:46pm):** oh  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:47pm):** i just love you so much  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:48pm)** : ???  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:48pm)** : lol i love you too  <3  
**Ototokun** _(Hinata)_ **(7:49pm)** : can i call?  
**Akiteru-nii** _(Tsukishima)_ **(7:50pm):** any time baby <3

Moments later, the phone in Kei’s lap buzzed. He looked up at his companions and politely said, “Excuse me for a moment. Shōyō’s calling”, before answering the phone. “Hey baby”, the blonde said, a broad smile spreading across his face. “Hey! How are you feeling?”, called the voice on the other end of the phone. Tsukki shrugged, then pouted, “I miss you”. Hinata laughed and said, “I miss you too! Um… are you alone?”. “No? Akiteru and Tadashi are here~”, the blonde laughed. The line was silent for a moment before Hinata asked, “And you’re okay with being so lovey-dovey in front of them?”. Tsukki laughed again before pouting once more, “Shōyō, you’re so _mean._ It doesn’t matter who’s with me-- I love _you_ . I love you _so much._ And--” “Hey, Kei?”, interrupted the redhead, “Can I talk to Yamaguchi real quick?”. As if he’d completely forgotten that he was talking, Tsukki nodded. “Yep! Hang on!”. He then turned to his best friend and extended his hand. “Shōyō wants to talk to you~”, he sang. Yamaguchi looked confusedly at the phone, taking it and slowly raising it to his ear. “Um-- Hello?”, he asked. “Hey, it’s Hinata… um… is everything okay with Kei? He seems kind of… _off._ ” Yamaguchi laughed. “Yes, he’s fine. They just gave him some pretty strong pain meds, so he’s um-- a little more _cheerful_ than usual.” In the background, Hinata could hear Tsukishima’s clear disagreement on the topic, and couldn’t help but laugh himself. “Ah, okay. That makes sense then”, grinned the redhead. “Is everything going okay?”, asked Yamaguchi. “Yep! We actually just finished moving all of my stuff into Tsukishima’s house.” “Oh, that sounds great then! Well, I’ll give you back to Tsukki.”

With that, the freckled boy handed the phone back to his best friend, who instantly melted into the conversation. _“Hi, baby”,_ Tsukki cooed. Yamaguchi turned to Akiteru and, blushing, admitted, “This is a little difficult to watch”. Akiteru nodded and said, “I’m happy that Kei is happy, but I never even _imagined_ seeing him like this. It’s a little surreal.” “More like, a _lot_ surreal”, laughed Yamaguchi. Tsukki was still giggling into his phone when Akiteru raised an eyebrow at the other boy who’d practically become family. “I figured you’d at least have seen him like this more than I have. Kei doesn’t share _anything_ with me.” Yamaguchi smiled and shook his head. “No, like… aside from them holding hands and Tsukki being overprotective of Shōyō, they’re generally pretty private about their relationship.” Akiteru cupped his chin and nodded, taking in the new information about his brother that he was receiving.

“Okay, well, just put your stuff wherever. Get comfortable. If you need a dresser or something we can go get it tomorrow or something. ...yeah. ...No, seriously, Shō, it’s your house now, too, so feel free to move anything you want. ...yeah. Yes. ...Okay, I love you. I’ll let you know when I’m coming home.”

When Tsukki hung up, Akiteru asked, “They’re back at our place?”. Tsukki nodded. “Yeah, they just brought all of Shōyō’s stuff in.” “In that case, can I borrow my phone for two minutes?”. Kei briefly looked as if he’d been seriously offended before remembering that he _did_ have Akiteru’s phone for the last several hours straight. He relented and handed his brother the device, though he did sulk a little bit as he leaned back into the bed.

Akiteru excused himself from the room, leaving Tsukki and Yamaguchi alone. Yamaguchi was feeling a little bit uncomfortable. He couldn’t quite place the root of the feeling, but it definitely had something to do with the change in Tsukishima’s behavior. “So um…”, the brunette started, looking around the room for a topic to discuss, “...when were you planning on proposing to Shōyō?”. Kei shot Yamaguchi a questioning glance. “I wasn’t”, he said carefully. Yamaguchi frowned, “Then why do you have a ring?”. The blonde sighed and lulled his head for a moment. “I have the ring”, he started, still being particular with his word choice, “so that I can propose if the perfect moment presented itself. I feel like you won’t know when you’re in that moment until you’re already there, so I just wanted to be prepared.” “So you _are_ planning on proposing then?”, asked Yamaguchi, shifting his weight in his seat. His voice was becoming more and more irritated as they went back and forth, so to the point where Tsukishima-- despite all the medication in his system-- noticed it.

“Tadashi…”, he started slowly, “...do you… do you have feelings for me?”. Yamaguchi’s face blanched. “W- what?!”, he asked, jumping to his feet. “I-- I-- _No!_ I don’t! Why would you even say something like-- like that?”. Tsukishima watched his best friend’s uncharacteristic behavior and frowned. “I’m sorry. I really am. By the time I noticed your feelings, I was already in love with Shōyō.” “ _What_ are you _talking about?!_ You _know_ I like Yachi! _”_ , the flustered, freckled boy exclaimed. Tsukki, who’d been playing with his bracelet, looked up and quietly said, “Yeah, now. But you didn’t always.”

Yamaguchi frowned before throwing himself back into his chair. “Man, you really must’ve hit your head…”. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Yams spoke again. “Besides, I would never do anything to make you unhappy. Since I found out about your crush on Hinata, I promised myself that I would help you convey your feelings. I just… I didn’t…”. Yamaguchi fell silent. “You didn’t think that I would be with him forever”, Kei said, finishing his best friend’s sentence. Yamaguchi looked up and grinned at the blonde, and it was clear he was trying to choke back tears. “I didn’t think. That’s all”, he said, laughing. Tsukki laughed too, and a sense of understanding settled between them. Tsukki only hoped that he’d remember this when he was feeling a little bit less loopy.

Akiteru returned to the room, beaming, “I ordered some pizzas for the guys. I figured it’s the least we could do to thank them for helping.” “Thanks”, smiled Kei, “...let’s get going so there’s some left for _us_ , too.” Akiteru rolled his eyes and returned to his seat. “Don’t be like that. You know they haven’t given us the results of your testing yet.” Tsukki glared at his brother before moving his fingers to his bracelet once more. “I’m still alive, aren’t I? _Clearly_ I haven’t had a brain hemorrhage yet. It’s _fine_. Let’s just go.”

The boys bickered for a few more minutes before the doctor showed up. “Well, Tsukishima-san, you appear to have a mild concussion. The MRI showed some mild bruising to your anterior cortex. Ideally, I’d like to keep you and monitor your status overnight--” Tsukki immediately threw the blankets off of him and moved to stand, “--but I am well aware that you’re very eager to leave, so I will forgo that on a few conditions.” The tall blonde sat back. He was fully ready to argue with the doctor and even storm out of the hospital if need be, but it turned out that he did not have to. “The first condition is that, over the next 24 hours, you need to be monitored at all times. I know that that is an unappealing prospect, particularly for a teenager, but if you cannot agree to letting your parents-- or your brother or your friend here-- monitor you, you must stay in the hospital. We need to make sure that no sudden swelling develops and inhibits your functionality. Can you do this much?”. Tsukki frowned but nodded. “Yes”, he said in total seriousness, “I will make sure someone is with me for every moment of the next 24 hours.” “Next”, continued the doctor, “You are not to get in any more fights-- ever, preferably, but-- at the very least for the next two weeks. You aren’t allowed to participate in sports or anything rigorous--” “--but--” “--or else you will need to remain hospitalized for further observation.” Tsukki had started to argue, but the threat of not being there for Hinata was even enough to calm his passion for volleyball. “Lastly, I want you to call and make an appointment with my office for next week, and I want to check on _both_ you and your redheaded friend who was here yesterday. If you can follow these terms, I can agree to let you go home.” Tsukki readily agreed, and was admittedly a little bit pleased that the doctor not only remembered Hinata but cared enough to follow up with him as well. “Now, I’m writing you a script for some pain medication-- I’m sure that you’re going to be feeling more than a little sore as your laceration heals. You can actually fill that in our pharmacy on the fifth floor. Other than that, Tsukishima-san, take it easy for the next few days, and I look forward to seeing you next week.” Everyone thanked the doctor and bid him goodbye, but as he swung the door open, he turned back. Leveling his gaze with the tall blonde, he warned, “Stay out of trouble.”

As soon as the door shut behind him, Tsukki practically jumped out of bed. “Okay! You heard the man, let’s get out of here!”. He grabbed Akiteru’s phone and walked wobbily over towards the door, stopping only when his older brother cleared his throat and laughed “Um… Kei… don’t you want to, you know, put on some clothes? Or will you be wearing the gown home?”.

 


	6. Two Very Different Mothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima returns home from the hospital.

By all accounts, it had been a very long day. Tsukishima Kei was completely surprised when, upon returning home, he found that every single person that had been at his house when he left was still there. All were pleased to find that he was okay, though Coach Ukai grumbled a little bit when he heard that Tsukki would be out of practice for the next two weeks. The group that accompanied Hinata had held off on eating the pizza that Akiteru ordered while the smaller group was still at the hospital, choosing instead to put it in the oven on the warming setting so that everyone could eat together. And when the night ended, everyone-- from the coach and advisor to the other second years-- hugged both boys and demanded that Tsukki and Hinata reach out to them whenever they need something.

Both Akiteru and Yamaguchi were shocked by how well Kei kept it together while in the presence of others. In the car he’d been very much out of it, though it was to be expected after the heavy pain medication he’d been given. However, once they’d gotten into the house, the tall blonde seemed to sober up instantly. His talkativity faded away and he quickly resumed his usual trend of speaking only when spoken to, with just a few out of place comments peppered in through the night.

Once everyone had gone, Tsukki and Hinata quickly made their way to bed, electing to forgo a bath in favor of some desperately needed sleep. As soon as they were under the covers, Tsukishima wrapped his arms around his small boyfriend and pulled the redhead to him. “I missed you so much”, he whispered, holding Hinata tightly. “I missed you too”, the redhead responded quietly, “I really wish you could’ve come with me. It was really hard being there, and Coach Ukai wouldn’t even let me pack my own stuff, so Tobio and Sugawara-san had to do it while I just sat there. I would’ve felt better if it was you.” The blonde clutched the redhead even more desperately. “I wish I was there, too”, he said morosely, “It drove me crazy not being able to be the one to protect you.” Hinata nodded into Tsukki’s chest. After a pregnant silence, Hinata spoke again, and it was clear that he was crying once more. “Kei… I’m so sorry that all this happened…”. As the blonde began to protest, the redhead pressed on. “I know you don’t want me to apologize, but I just feel so _guilty._ I feel so absolutely terrible that this happened. I never thought my dad would ever hit me, but I definitely, _definitely_ never thought he’d lay a hand on you…”. Tsukki kissed the top of Hinata’s head. “Well, you’ve said before that you didn’t think your parents would respond well… you had to have some sort of inkling that something like this would happen.” The smaller boy shook his head. “Not at all… I just thought they would disapprove and maybe we’d fight a bit or something… I never thought that they’d try to send me across the country or _disown_ me…”. Hinata began sobbing quietly, and Tsukki ran his fingers through the amber locks before him. “It’s okay”, the blonde said, smiling softly, “it just means that _our_ future gets to start even sooner than we thought. And now we know that my mom is completely supportive of us, too. I’m sure one day _someone_ in your family will reach out, but for now, we can just focus on us.” Tsukki nuzzled Hinata’s head with his nose before realizing that his sentence was inaccurate. “...well, and volleyball. And school. And picking out a college. And--” “Kei”, Hinata said, looking up at the blonde. The taller boy smiled bashfully, realizing that his continued commentary wasn’t helping.

Kissing Hinata’s head once more, Tsukki smiled, “It’ll all be okay. For now, though, let’s try to get some rest. Today’s been entirely too long.” Hinata nodded, and Tsukki smiled. As Kei relaxed, he began to feel his eyelids grow heavy, his breathing slow, and… a warm hand groping the waist of his boxers.

“Shōyō”, Tsukki groaned, pressing his forehead into Hinata’s, “I am _dead tired._ Aren’t you?”. Hinata smiled broadly at his boyfriend (despite the blonde’s eyes being closed), and said, “Yeah, I am. But I missed you a lot today, and now that we’re together I’m super horny”. Tsukki frowned. “But you were just crying…” “Yeah”, grinned Hinata, “but when I stopped I realized how _warm_ you are, and thought about how your strong, sexy arms are around me, and, well here we are!” The blonde scoffed. “You have no shame whatsoever, do you?”. Hinata plunged his hands beneath the elastic of Kei’s pants and asked, “Should I?”. Tsukki opened his eyes seemingly just to roll them. “You have a serious problem”, the blonde sighed. “Problem?” “Yeah, you’re like, _addicted.”_ “To you, maybe”.

Hinata had been working Tsukki’s shaft as they bickered, but once the redhead got his final word in, Tsukki grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry, baby, but I am honestly too tired to do anything tonight. Can we _please_ wait until tomorrow?”. Hinata sat up in bed and frowned. “No.”, the redhead said decisively, “I want you. I’ll do everything. All you have to do is lay there.”

Tsukki swallowed hard. He was truly and sincerely exhausted, but Hinata’s offer was one that he couldn’t ignore. Hearing how badly the small redhead wanted him made his heart skip a beat every time, and Hinata’s persistence had always been Tsukki’s biggest turn on.

Upon seeing that his boyfriend was not protesting, Hinata clambered out of bed. He crossed the room and grabbed the lubricant from its safe spot in Tsukki’s desk drawer. As he returned, he kicked off his own pants and stopped beside the bed. He carefully set the bottle down on the other side of the blonde before delicately stripping his beloved. When Tsukki lifted his hips to allow Hinata to remove his bottoms easier, the redhead frowned. “No, Kei”, he admonished, “I said that I’m gonna do everything.” The blonde flashed a smile, but quickly followed it up with, “Wait… what exactly are you planning on doing?”. Hinata grinned mischievously as he reached across the bed and grabbed the lube. “Shō, seriously, I said I’m tired. I am definitely not up to being bottom tonight.” Hinata rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, hush”, flipping the cap of the bottle open. He squirted a generous amount of the cold jelly in his palm then reached out and took Tsukishima’s cock in his hand. He began stroking Tsukki, who met his hand with small thrusts. Shōyō frowned when the blonde began moving, retracting his hand and squirting out even more lubricant. “I said no moving”, the redhead reprimanded before moving his hand behind him. “Shōyō…”, Tsukki said breathlessly, finally realizing what the redhead had planned.

Hinata climbed onto the bed, placing one knee on either side of the blonde. He lined himself up, positioning the head of Tsukki’s cock against his entrance. He held Tsukki’s base steady as he slowly pushed against him, increasing in force until the blonde’s member finally breached Hinata’s opening. Kei gasped as he felt Shōyō’s heat engulf him. The position that the redhead was executing at that moment was one that the boys had attempted multiple times with zero success; it was always too painful for Shōyō to take Tsukki in with his own force. It had, admittedly, been a long time since they last attempted it, but neither boy felt they were particularly missing out on anything with the absence of one single position.

Kei was cursing himself for ever giving up on such a pursuit.

From where he was lying, he could see everything. Hinata’s face was flushed so deeply that Tsukki could see the glow in the darkness as Hinata pressed into the blonde’s full length. His rigid member was practically dripping as Tsukki probed further and further inside the redhead, and the face Hinata was making was practically _obscene._ When Hinata had finally engulfed Kei in full, he knelt still for a moment and panted. Finally he looked up and grinned at the blonde. “Sorry”, he laughed hoarsely, “You’re just so much to take in”. Tsukki rubbed Hinata’s thighs reassuringly. “Take all the time you need”, Tsukki said, his voice lurid and erotic. It was another long minute before Hinata finally began moving. At first his pace was slow as he rose up and fell upon Tsukki’s cock. He slowly found a rhythm that he was comfortable with, pushing himself up then dropping himself down as his desire for the blonde mounted. Before long, Hinata was dripping sweat onto the soft, pale flesh below.

“Shō”, Tsukki whispered, still gripping the delicate thighs he’d first grasped what seemed like aeons ago, “Can I move?”. Hinata shook his head and accelerated his pace. “I told you”, the redhead panted as he grinded into the hips beneath him, _“I’m_ doing all the work.” Tsukki bit his lip and nodded. As he watched his beloved boyfriend writhe on top of him, a realization hit him and he carefully reached out and took Hinata’s cock into his hand. The smaller boy gasped as soon as he was touched, looking down at Tsukishima with the slightest hint of a glare in his eyes.

“What?”, asked the blonde innocently as he began stroking his boyfriend, “I want to help you, too.” Hinata shook his head but kept moving, and soon the force of his movements were so zealous that Tsukki didn’t even have to move the hand that clutched Shōyō’s member. Hinata drew one hand up to his mouth, biting into the side of his palm in an effort to try to stay the moans that desperately wanted release, as the other hand pressed against Tsukki’s abdomen in order to hold the ever-weakening redhead up.

“K- Kei”, Hinata moaned as his bouncing continued to accelerate in intensity, “I-- I think--” “Me too”, came the gruff response from the blonde, “Can I move?”. Hinata bit his lip and nodded, and soon Tsukki was thrusting into the redhead with everything he had. This was not a familiar position for him, for sure, but he was so close to the edge that there was literally nothing that could’ve stopped him from reaching his goal.

Tsukishima buried himself as deeply into Hinata’s ass as he possibly could and soon the redhead could feel the eruption of heat within him. The redhead had been studying his boyfriend’s expression as he watched him approach climax, but the face he made alone was enough to tip Hinata over the edge (though the grip Kei had on his cock definitely helped). Moments after Tsukki unloaded into the redhead, Hinata also came, becoming a veritable fountain that showered both boys in the warm, viscous fluid.

When he was finished, Hinata collapsed forward, completely exhausted and fully spent. Tsukki wrapped his arms around him, pulling the smaller boy close as his member withdrew itself from inside Hinata. The redhead was completely out of breath and seemed to be on the verge of passing out, but Tsukki couldn’t help but smile; _how did he get so lucky, to get a boyfriend who would do anything to have him?_

“Hey”, Tsukki called as the fluid pressed between the boys began to chill, “Shō… _Hey.”_ “Mm?”, came the almost-completely-out-of-it response. “Let’s go take a quick shower before sleep”. Hinata didn’t respond, so the blonde began pushing himself up. “Come on”, he encouraged, shaking the redhead lightly. “.... _fine.”_

With enough coaxing, Tsukishima finally got Hinata off of him and into the bathroom. As promised, the shower was extremely quick, as neither boy wasted any time in getting clean. They were back in the bed within ten minutes and completely passed out not two minutes after that.

\---

Tsukki woke up in a panic nearly ten hours later, as a sound he was largely unfamiliar with filled the household.

_“HOW DARE YOU?! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!”_

Yelling. Tsukki’s mom was _yelling._

This was the first time in years he’d heard his mother so much as raise her voice, and the sickening feeling in his stomach gave him more than a hunch as to why. The blonde scrambled to throw on pants, a shirt, and his glasses before throwing his door open and dashing out of his room, leaving behind a sleepy and confused Hinata stirring in his bed.

He scrambled down the hallway, speeding towards his mother’s voice. He briefly overshot his mark, clambering into the kitchen only to see Akiteru sitting at the table and their mother standing facing away from them with her phone to her ear. A brief look exchanged between the boys confirmed Tsukki’s biggest fear: his mother was on the phone with Hinata’s parents.

 _“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT!",_ she yelled into the receiver. Kei was feeling nauseous. Had he _ever_ heard his mother swear? _“I PROMISE YOU, I WILL SUE YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IF YOU SO MUCH AS_ **_LOOK_ ** _AT ONE OF MY BOYS THE WRONG WAY! AND THAT_ **_INCLUDES_ ** _SHŌYŌ!”_ There was a long silence, but finally Tsukki’s mother shifted her weight and, in a quieter voice, muttered, _“Yeah_ , that’s _right_. … … … Yes. … … … _NO. …_ ”

The conversation seemed to calm down, though the minute the blonde woman hung up her phone and turned around, her rage returned. “All three of you are in major trouble!”, she said both loudly and sternly. Tsukki looked behind him to find that Hinata had followed him to the kitchen and was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, quaking slightly.

“The next time _anything_ happens to _any one of you,_ you need to tell me immediately! It doesn’t matter if I’m at work or at Nana’s house or asleep-- _I need to know immediately!_ You are my _children._ I couldn’t _live_ with myself if something happened to a single one of you and I wasn’t there. And the two of you--”, she said pointing to Kei and Akiteru, “-- are in _extra_ deep trouble! You were at my _job,_ for God’s sake, and neither of you thought it might be a good idea to _tell me?!”_. “Actually, Kei asked--”, started the older brother, before a death glare from the taller blonde shut him up.

The blonde woman sighed deeply and cradled her forehead in her hands for a moment. When she looked up, the three saw the slightest hint of tears forming in her eyes and a heavy sense of guilt washed over all three. “Shōyō”, she said seriously as he looked to the redhead, “go get dressed. You and I are going out.” Hinata looked to Kei before nodding then excusing himself. “Kei, you are to stay in bed or lay on the couch. _God will be the only one to help you if I come home and find you upright._ Akiteru will be taking care of you, so if you need anything, call him and he’ll help.” The tall blonde moved to protest, but as his mother stepped closer to him, he thought better of it. “I called the doctor. You have a concussion. You need to take it easy.” She looked the boy up and down before cracking a smile. “I don’t care that you’re seventeen. I don’t care that you’re 194 centimeters tall. I am still your mother, and if you’re not going to take care of yourself, I will!”. Kei couldn’t help but return the smile, though as he did the happiness faded from his mother’s face. She drew her hand up to his injury and carefully removed the bandages. The blonde woman recoiled at the horrific sight that was her son’s wound. “Come, honey, I’ll clean that up for you and change the bandages. That bastard really did a number on you.”

Tsukki obeyed, reaching up once more and retrieving the first aid kit for his mother before seating himself at the kitchen table. He winced as she cleaned his cut out; while it didn’t bother him on its own, the wound was very, very tender when touched. As she applied bandages over the laceration, Kei carefully asked, “Mom? Where are you taking Shō?”. “Hold still”, she scolded, pressing a small bandage to his chin. “We’re going shopping. I’m sure there are things he needs and, to be honest, I want to spend time with him. I cannot _imagine_ what the poor boy is going through right now, but I feel that it is really important for-- _stop moving--_ him to know that he’s surrounded by people who love him.”

“Okay, you’re all finished, go get Shō-kun, I wanna change his bandages, too.” Tsukki rose from his seat and turned to follow his mother’s instructions, only to find Hinata entering the kitchen. “Oh! Shōyō! Dear, come over here and let me change your bandages. Kei, remember what I said, you need to be laying down.” Tsukki nodded and watched as Hinata crossed the room to stand beside the sink once more. The redhead seemed to be avoiding eye contact with his boyfriend, but when Tsukki finally did catch his eye, he could tell in a heartbeat that Hinata had been crying in the brief time that they were apart.

“Are you guys leaving soon?”, asked the youngest blonde. His mother was swabbing Hinata’s cut with a cotton ball that was drenched in peroxide. Without looking up, she nodded and said, “Yep, as soon as I’m done we’re gonna head out. We’ll only be gone a few hours at most, though.” Tsukki nodded and excused himself for a moment. He went as quickly as he dared to his room, grabbed his phone, and returned to find the last bandage being placed on Hinata’s wound. “Here”, he said again, handing the phone to the redhead. “I’ll leave facebook up on my computer, so just message me if you need me.” Hinata took the phone and nodded solemnly.

“Shō-kun, would you take Kei to go lay down like he’s supposed to and then we’ll go?”, asked the blonde woman as she packed up the first aid kit again. Hinata took Tsukki by the arm and led him back to his bedroom. “Do you need anything?”, asked the shorter boy as the blonde positioned himself in bed. Tsukki shook his head. “Nothing. Just… have a good time and hurry home.” “Um…”, started the redhead, “What, exactly, am I going to be doing?”. Tsukki shrugged. “My mom said she wanted to take you shopping. I don’t know where or for what, but enjoy yourself.”

Hinata leaned in to kiss Tsukki before thinking better of it; after all, both boys had significant injuries to their lips and Hinata didn’t want to risk hurting Tsukki. The blonde, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about the stitches he’d received; he just wanted his boyfriend. Sitting up in bed, Kei frowned, “Get over here”. Hinata obeyed, leaning down once more. He gingerly pursed his lips and barely brushed them over the blonde’s. When he began to pull away, Tsukki reached up and grabbed the back of his head, pushing Hinata back into the kiss. The redhead struggled briefly before finally giving in and melting into the kiss. After several moments had passed, Kei released his grip on Hinata and allowed him to actually pull away, though the blonde couldn’t help but frown. “Hurry home”, he muttered before laying back into the bed. “I’ll do what I can”, Hinata replied. Turning to walk towards the door, he added, “I love you.” “I love you too”, Tsukki called back, “Don’t forget to message me if you need me.”

With that, Hinata was gone, leaving Tsukki alone with his thoughts. He knew that the redhead had been crying, and he was pretty sure he knew why as well. All Hinata ever did was try to make others happy; surely the drama over the previous few days had to be getting to him. Tsukki was sure that Shōyō was blaming himself for everything, though when he looked at it honestly, the blonde knew that he was guilty of the same. At its very _root,_ Tsukki felt this was all his fault; after all, _he_ had been the one to pursue Hinata. _He_ asked the redhead out, instead of simply accepting their friendship as it was. _He_ was the one who always pressured Hinata about coming out, and he was sure that the whole thing with Mr. Matsuki could be traced back to being his fault as well.

And then, after everything had happened, it was _his_ mom that insisted that Hinata be taken to the hospital, then called both boys out of school. So it was _his_ fault that everyone came over yesterday, and then _his_ fault for not thinking before answering the door to Hinata’s dad. It was _his_ fault that he allowed himself to be taken to the hospital, and then _his_ fault that his mother and brother were being so heavily impacted by all of this.

As he walked in circles in his mind, a knock came on the door. “Hey”, called Akiteru, cracking the door slightly, “I’m doing laundry and you and Shō both had stuff in your pockets. Do you wanna come get it or should I wait?”. Tsukki sat up slowly and said, “I’ll take care of it, thanks”, as he stood up, taking his time to maintain his balance. While he certainly wasn’t as dizzy as he was the night prior, he still was feeling a little bit unsteady.

He slowly trudged down the hall to the washer where he began probing through the pockets of every pair of pants he recognized. His wallet was in his own pants from night before, as was a pack of gum and some bloody paper towel. He was glad Akiteru had called him-- the paper towel would’ve made all of their clothes a disgusting papery mess if it hadn’t been caught. He grabbed the next pair and found some change and a wrapper from a single piece of gum and thought, _‘wow, we really need to be more diligent about cleaning out our pockets’._ The next pair of pants were completely empty, which was a pleasant change of pace, and as he grabbed the last article that he’d identified as his or Shōyō’s, a folded envelope fell out of the pocket and hit the floor. Tsukki bent down and picked it up, turning it over to find ‘Shōyō’ written across the front in handwriting that was only vaguely familiar to him.

The blonde shook himself from his thoughts, tossing the envelope onto the dryer where he’d put the rest of the treasure he’d recovered, before throwing the clothes into the washer and starting the cycle. He grabbed all of the items from atop the other machine, threw away whatever garbage had been collected, and headed back to his room.

Tsukki sat on his bed, gently flexing the envelope as he considered whether or not he really should be reading it. It was addressed to Hinata and it was in his pants from the day before; could it be from his parents? He was pretty sure that Natsu didn’t know how to write yet, but even if she did, there was no way that her handwriting would be so neat at such a young age… right? Tsukki was beyond curious, but a part of him kept nagging that, even though they’d never kept anything from each other in the past, this would be a clear violation of Hinata’s privacy. It was only when Kei thought _‘How would I feel if the situation was reversed?’,_ that he realized that the redhead would have no problem with him reading this (as he would have no problem with Hinata going through anything of his).

He carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded in thirds (or sixths, if you consider that Hinata had folded the previously-folded paper in half). On the paper were three neat paragraphs and no signature.

 _“Shōyō”,_ began the letter, _“Words cannot express how disappointed your father and I are in you.” ‘Okay, so it’s from his Mom’,_ thought Tsukki.  _“Your selfish and frankly disgusting choice to date a member of your gender has torn our family apart. Your father is furious, I am embarrassed, and your poor little sister keeps asking where you went. What are we supposed to say to her? That you chose a_ _boy_ _over your family? You should be ashamed of yourself-- your father and I certainly are. You are a disgrace to the Hinata family name._

 _We cannot imagine why you would make a choice like this. Do you need attention? Were you abused? Was this some kind of bet that went too far? Whatever the situation,_ _come_ _home_ _. We can fix this_ _as_ _a_ _family_ _. You have no future with Tsukishima. What employer do you think is going to hire a man who is with another man? Where do you think you’ll live, that something like that will be accepted? You are choosing an unnecessarily difficult path. Come home. We can help you find a girlfriend, if you want to be in a relationship so badly._

 _Shōyō, we just want what’s best for you. This lifestyle is_ _not_ _what’s best for you. I think, in time, your father will be able to forgive you, and we all can move on like nothing ever happened. The school near Grandma also has a very good volleyball team from what I hear, so you won’t even have to give that up. Make the right decision and come home to your family. Let’s close this shameful chapter of your life and move forward._

_I hope you make the right decision.”_

Kei crumpled up the letter and threw it across the room. He was absolutely furious and disgusted. Not only were Hinata’s parents being vile and insulting-- they also thought they were in the right to do so! The blonde didn’t know what to do with the intense emotions he was experiencing. He was perhaps the angriest he’d ever been, but he couldn’t use any of his traditional ways of coping because of his concussion. Normally, at the very least, he would’ve gone for a run or something, but because of Hinata’s father, he was restricted to bed.

He writhed as he digested his anger, and though he tried to focus on other things, his mind would not stop returning to the vitriolic blight he’d just read. Nearly an hour had passed of him just laying in bed, clenching and unclenching his hands, focusing on the promise he’d made to Hinata so many years ago to not take his anger out on inanimate objects, before his mind very suddenly changed gears.

How many times had Shōyō cried since he got home from getting his stuff? It was a number that Tsukki couldn’t know, as he had no idea if the redhead cried when they were apart, but while they were together it was an easy three times. Was he crying because of this letter?

Again, the self-loathing thoughts returned, blaming Tsukki for all the heartache his poor, beloved redhead was going through. He thought about the extra stress he was putting on his own family because of his choices. His stomach roiled, and he knew then that he had to do _something_ to fix the chaos he’d plunged his loved ones into.

It wasn’t long before the blonde had a plan. He knew that he would have to work hard, but he was pretty sure that he’d be able to make it so that nobody (except him) had to stress anymore.

\---

Hinata came home after being out for nearly four hours to find his beloved boyfriend passed out in bed. He smiled gently; Tsukki seemed so peaceful when he slept. The redhead gently slid into bed alongside Kei and grinned as his golden eyes fluttered awake. “Hey”, the blonde said quietly, snuggling closer to the boy he loved so much. “Hey, baby”, whispered Hinata.

The redhead played with Tsukki’s hair as the blonde stirred. “How was shopping?”, Kei asked through lidded eyes. As Hinata spoke, he found himself becoming reenergized, though all he really wanted to do was snuggle with the redhead. “...so all that stuff will be delivered here sometime next week, I think. And then we had lunch. It was a really nice time. I’m grateful that your mom cares so much.”

The word ‘mom’ sent a jolt through Tsukki’s chest, and he couldn’t help but pull the redhead to him. “Um… Kei?”, Hinata asked, clearly confused about the sudden intense demonstration of love. “I read the letter from your mom”, the blonde confessed immediately. Even if he had initially intended to keep it a secret, the fact that the letter was a crumpled up ball might have given him away in the end. Hinata frowned for a moment before saying, “What-- Ohhh! Oh, Kei, I completely forgot about it. I stuffed it in my pocket at my parents house without even reading it.” Kei pulled back from Hinata so he could look him in the eye. “Good”, he said, before burying himself in the redhead’s shoulder once more. “It was that bad, huh?”, Hinata laughed into Tsukki’s neck. The blonde shook his head. “You have no idea.” “Well, I kinda do. I opened it hoping it would be, you know, literally anything else, and saw the word ‘disgrace’ and decided that I didn’t need to read it then and there, especially not in front of Tobio and Suga-san.”

When Tsukki confessed the ultimate fate of the letter to the redhead, Hinata laughed out loud, reassuring the taller boy that it likely would’ve met the same fate in his hands, and that it was probably for the best.

The two talked for a long time as they snuggled, happy just to be able to be together again. They’d just finished speculating on their senpai’s graduation ceremony when Hinata exclaimed, “Oh! Um-- Coach wants to practice tomorrow. I know you’re not allowed to do anything for two weeks but is it okay if I go?” “Are you feeling up to it?”, asked Tsukki. Hinata nodded and the blonde smiled, “Then I don’t see why not.” “You can come too, if you want, and just watch…”, started the redhead, though Kei shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I actually have some stuff I gotta do anyway, so this’ll be a good time.” Shōyō was curious about the ambiguous manner in which Tsukki was speaking but ultimately elected not to press it. He was happy that he was going to be able to practice, and he was happy that Kei had something to keep his own time occupied, so in the end it was a win/win, even if the blonde wasn’t being forthcoming about what, exactly, he’d planned to do. The conversation changed again, with Tsukki speculating about who would actually be able to show up to practice-- were the third years going to be there? If so, would Daichi, Suga, and Asahi show up as well, for old times’ sake?-- and soon Hinata had forgotten all about the things Tsukki failed to mention that he had to do.

 


	7. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukki's mom throws Hinata a surprise party, though Tsukki has a surprise of his own for the redhead...

Hinata was up and out of the house before 10am the next day, leaving Tsukishima the better part of the day to try to fix the lives of those around him. He left without saying a word to anyone and returned just before the redhead did. The next day passed in the exact same manner, as did the day after that.

On the third day that Tsukki spent completely out of the house, his mother texted him.

 **Kaasan (3:35pm):** Kei, honey, remember that tonight’s Shō’s party when he gets home so dont forget to pick him up from school  
**Kei (3:37pm):** okay

Around 5pm, Tsukki walked over to the High School, where he headed to the club room in order to sit and wait. He pulled a book from his bag and opened it up; it was new-- just released that week-- and he’d picked it up while running his errands that day.

Three chapters later, the door slid open and a familiar head of red hair bounded backwards into the room. “And then I was like ‘GWAAAH’ and Tobio was like ‘POW’ and then the other team was like ‘GUH?!’”. Tsukki rolled his eyes, dog-eared his book, and shut it. “I can’t believe I fell in love with someone who can spout such _nonsense_ ”, he sighed, cracking a smile once Hinata turned to look at him. “Kei!”, the redhead gasped, lunging across the small room. Tsukki laughed as he reeled backwards, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend while his other arm steadied himself against the tackle. “Hey baby”, the blonde grinned, rubbing his hand up and down Hinata’s back, careful to avoid the now sickly green and purple bruise sitting low upon his flesh.

“Ah, young love”, sighed a familiar voice as the rest of the team, past and present, trickled into the room. “You’re barely a year older than me-- and not even a whole year older than Shō”, grumbled Tsukki as he held the fidgeting boy on his lap. Nishinoya shrugged, “Okay, _‘ah, High School Romance’._ Is that better?”. Tsukki narrowed his eyes and mumbled, “Not really…” as Hinata squeezed him tightly. Nishinoya frowned. “Man, I miss the days when Asahi was here…”. “I _am_ here!”, cried a dismayed Asahi who had entered the room shortly after the libero. “Yeah, yeah”, waved Noya dismissively, “But you’re not _here._ We don’t go to school together.” “Technically”, started Tsukishima as Hinata squirmed in his lap so as to face the others, “Neither do _we_ , anymore.”

All of a sudden Tanaka burst into the conversation, crying, _“_ _Tsukki, how could you say something like that?!”_ ; from there, the two (now former) third years embraced each other and sobbed things like: “I can’t believe we graduated!”, “These three years went by too fast!”, and “What are our poor first years gonna do without us?” (earning a frustrated, “We’re third years now!”, from Tsukki). Tsukishima looked helplessly to Daichi and Sugawara, who normally would’ve reeled the two over-zealous men in, but all he got back was a shrug and a smirk. It seemed that their days of parenting Tanaka and Nishinoya were over.

“Seriously, though, Yū, I heard you’re not going to the same school as Asahi. What’s up with that?”, asked Sugawara as he seated himself on the floor near the other boys. Nishinoya frowned as he sat back down and folded his arms. “I don’t want to dorm”, he said demurely, “but I don’t have the grades to be able to work _and_ go to school, so it’s not like I can get an apartment. This just works out the best. Besides-- Asahi is only in Fukushima, so it’s not like we can’t see each other.” Asahi nodded, backing up his boyfriend, though the frown on his face betrayed his true feelings about the situation. Sugawara frowned and lightly punched Asahi in the arm. “You should be supporting Nishinoya! Get an apartment with that meager salary of yours and let him live with you!”, the ash-blonde yelled, though the smile that he couldn’t hide revealed that he was (at the very least half-) joking. Asahi’s frown deepened. “We talked about that”, he said, scooting closer to Nishinoya and further from Sugawara as he rubbed the arm that was just punched, “But we decided that this works better for now, since Yū probably couldn’t live with the guilt of not working while I worked. Besides-- who are you to talk?! You two don’t live together!” Sugawara shrugged. “Daichi wasn’t ready for that level of commitment”, he sighed, casting a quick glance across the room to his own boyfriend who was falling for Suga’s taunt. “You _know_ that’s not it”, Daichi exclaimed, frowning deeply, “But the school you got into didn’t have _half_ the law program that I was looking for.” Sugawara shrugged once more. “See what I mean?”, he said, hitching a thumb towards Daichi while looking back sadly to Asahi.

The group laughed and talked a bit more before Sugawara suddenly stood up. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but Daichi and I gotta get going. It’s getting pretty late.” The group as a whole agreed amongst themselves, though as Yamaguchi picked up his bag, his face dropped. “Oh… I think I forgot to lock the equipment room door…”, he said dispiritedly. The redhead, who was still sitting in Tsukishima’s lap, jumped up. “I’ll go check!”, he offered happily. “Really? Thanks!”.

“Kei, come with me”, the redhead grinned, as everyone else called their good-byes before leaving the club room. As Tsukki pushed himself up to his feet, he raised an eyebrow at Hinata and asked, “Why do I get the feeling that you’re up to something?”.

“I’m not up to anything!”, laughed the redhead as he jumped down the stairs. “Hey! You’re supposed to be taking it easy, remember?!” “Yeah, and _you’re_ supposed to be in bed!”. The gym door itself was locked and Hinata fumbled with the key as Tsukishima caught up to him. “You have to wiggle it a little bi--” _“I know!”._ After considerable trouble-- in which Tsukki tried to help Hinata, Hinata struggled to keep the key to himself, and the blonde had to forcibly push his boyfriend out of the way to unlock the gym door-- the two were finally in the dark, empty gymnasium. “Oh!”, exclaimed Hinata, “Tadashi was right. Look, the door isn’t even _shut_.” “Hurry up, let’s get going”, grumbled Tsukki as he watched Hinata bound across the room before disappearing into the equipment closet.

“Shōyō? You’re supposed to be _shutting_ the door”, he called after a moment of silence. Suddenly a loud crash echoed through the gym and Tsukki found himself running towards the equipment room in a panic. As he skidded through the door, he yelled, “Are you okay?!”. The sincere look of alarm and concern quickly faded from his face, only to be replaced with one of abject irritation upon seeing Hinata safe and sound standing beside to two volleyball poles he’d toppled over. “What the hell?”, Tsukki asked as the redhead quietly strode over to him. “How else was I supposed to get you in here?”, the smaller boy asked as he wrapped his arms around the blonde. “Why did I need to come here in the first place?”, Kei asked, irritation mounting. “Well”, Hinata sang, “We’ve almost _never_ had the gym to ourselves. I don’t know about you, but _I’ve_ always wanted to get fucked in here.” Tsukki shut his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath through his nose before opening (and subsequently rolling) his eyes once more. “What the hell is wrong with you?”, the blonde sighed, looking down at Shōyō, “Why _here_ , of all places?”. Hinata grinned up at Tsukki as his hands wandered down to the blonde’s butt. “I dunno”, he shrugged, “It’s somewhere we spend a lot of time in general--” “--twice a day for two minutes is not a lot of time. It’s barely ten minutes a week, taking into consideration we--” “--and I like the idea that someone might have to come back and we can get caught.” Now Tsukki had to sigh. “After everything that’s happened, you actually _like_ the idea of getting caught?”. The redhead bit his lip and nodded enthusiastically. “I know it sucked for them, but Asahi-san and Yū-san’s story about getting caught was… kinda hot.” Tsukishima shook his head in disdain, though his hands made their way around the smaller boy’s waist as he did so. “You should _not_ be getting turned on by other people’s coming out stories!”, the blonde exclaimed in frustration. “I dunno”, Hinata shrugged as his hands delicately traced the taller boy’s arms, “I mean, aside from the obvious problems, don’t you think it’d be pretty hot if someone walked in on us?”. The redhead stood innocently looking up at Kei as his fingertips drew goosebumps to the blonde’s arms. Finally Tsukki clicked his tongue and, as he leaned in closer to the redhead, said, “...for them, maybe.”

 _‘One day’,_ Tsukki thought as his lips descended upon Hinata’s, _‘One day, I will  learn some self-restraint when it comes to him.’_ This was much less a promise than it was a vague and far-off goal of Kei’s; he was fully aware that he had nothing that even _resembled_ self-control when the redhead started. He was hopelessly addicted to the smaller boy, and Hinata’s desire for Tsukki drove Tsukki _crazy._ It was an insane self-perpetuating cycle that Tsukishima could not seem to break free of, no matter how much he tried or how much time elapsed. He was pretty sure that, at this rate, he could be in his nineties, and Hinata would still be able to get to him like this.

Soon both boys were on the floor, with Hinata sitting in the middle of Tsukki’s folded legs, draping his own legs behind the blonde. Tsukki grinned as he palmed the front of the redhead’s pants, the smaller boy squirming in a mix of appreciation and desire. “Mm”, the blonde moaned as he broke their kiss, moving over to the redhead’s neck, “So what did you have in mind?”. “I-- I already _told you_ ”, Shōyō groaned, trying his best to speak in spite of the blonde’s quick and erotic movements. Tsukki dragged his tongue from the spot on Hinata’s neck that he’d been playing with, up to the lobe of his ear. “ _Did you?”,_ he whispered, his mouth as close as it could be to the redhead without touching him, _“I must’ve forgotten”._ He could feel Shōyō shiver with delight when he finally took his earlobe into his mouth and began biting and sucking it.

 _“Keiiiii”_ , Hinata whined, squirming to get the blonde to release the flesh he’d taken, _“I told you… I want you to fuck me.”_ Tsukki sat back and appraised his boyfriend. His face was flushed and beads of sweat were already beginning to appear along his forehead. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were glassy and half-lidded. The blonde couldn’t help himself-- he quickly planted a chaste kiss on Hinata’s lips before sitting back once more. “You can’t be serious”, he said, grinning at the boy before him, “We still have to _walk home._ You’ll be dripping the whole way if we do that. Wouldn’t it be easier if I just sucked you off?”. Hinata frowned down severely. “I said I wanted to be _fucked_ in here. Your mouth is amazing, but that’s not what I want.” The redhead paused for a moment before adding, “Oh, and also, I’m really sweaty. We did a lot at practice today. So I definitely don’t want your mouth _down there._ I feel bad enough for you that you’re licking my neck and stuff.” Tsukki grinned and rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine”, the blonde relented, “but I don’t want to hear you complain at all afterwards.” Hinata nodded enthusiastically before twisting out of the blonde’s lap. He quickly shed his practice shorts, kicking them off unceremoniously before presenting himself to the blonde on all fours. Tsukki lowered his own shorts only as far as necessary. The one thing he sincerely hated about Shōyō’s sexual whims was that he had to be so… _unclassy_ , and use his own saliva as lubrication. He pooled all the saliva he could in his mouth, dropping it into his hand once he was sure he couldn’t draw out any more. He lathered his own member in the makeshift lube before rubbing whatever remained around Hinata’s asshole. “Let me know if you need more”, he said, as he positioned himself against Hinata’s entrance.

In the moment that he hesitated before entering the redhead, Hinata had grown impatient and instead pushed himself into Tsukki, mewling and arching his back as the blonde breached his entrance. Once he was satisfied that he’d taken all of the blonde in that he possibly could, he drew himself forward, only to push back against the blonde once more. “Jesus”, Tsukki breathed, “Give me a second, will ya? I thought I was supposed to be the one doing the fucking here”. Hinata looked over his shoulder and grinned at his boyfriend. “Sorry”, he laughed, though his apology seemed to be insincere, as he was still impaling himself on Tsukki’s cock.

“Wow, I can’t believe how lewd my precious little boyfriend is. And to think- I once thought you were innocent”, the blonde grinned, sinking his nails into Hinata’s ass cheeks. The redhead moaned, pressing himself back into the sharp sensation, before pulling forward once more. “I _was_ innocent”, Hinata retorted, “...before I got a taste of _you.”_ Tsukki smirked as he moved his hands to the redhead’s hips, pulling Hinata back into him with more force than he could manage on his own. For the entirety of their relationship, Tsukishima had known that Hinata was into dirty talk. And sometimes it got _really_ dirty. But over the course of the last few months, the redhead began saying things back, presumably in an effort to goad Kei on further. He hated to admit it, but it worked. If dirty talk was Hinata’s ‘thing’, then Hinata’s quips in response were Tsukki’s ‘thing’.

“Still”, Tsukki said, trying his best to keep his voice level as he plunged himself deeper and deeper into the small redhead, “to think you’d be into something like _this._ Does it get you off, knowing that one of our friends or our coaches-- or even our kouhai-- could walk in here any second?”. Hinata hissed, “Yes!”, in response, drawing out the ‘s’ sound as he slammed himself back against the blonde. “Does it get you off knowing that they’d see you on your hands and knees getting pounded like a whore in the equipment room?” “Oh my God, Kei, Yes!”, came the response. The blonde had to giggle, though his breath caught as he tried to laugh, “Someone’s bound to show up if you don’t watch your volume, you know.” “Yes!”, Hinata whined, his fingers pressing to the floor in a desperate attempt to grip _anything,_ despite knowing full-well that the floor he was on was waxed smooth. Tsukki slowed briefly, only to lean in next to the desperate redhead, and whispered, “Maybe next time we’ll have to sneak away during practice and see who comes looking for us”, before returning to his previous stance and drilling Hinata with everything he had.

“Yes! Yes, Kei, yes! Please!”, Shōyō cried, as the wave of his orgasm hit its crest and crashed down upon him. Tsukki suddenly pulled out, choosing to finish, instead, all over Hinata’s ass and back.

When both boys were finally able to catch their breath, the realization of what a mess they’d made in the equipment room hit them, and together they both started laughing. The redhead was still suspended on his hands and knees, careful not to get any messier than he was already, despite how desperately his arms and legs wanted to give out. Beneath him was a respectable pool of cum, and he could feel the fluid on his cheeks begin to chill.

Tsukki stood up, still laughing, and called, “Hang on a sec, I’ll get something to clean you up.” Moments later he returned, one hand filled with wet paper towels from beside the utility sink and the other hand with dry. He carefully cleaned Hinata’s ass and the spots on his back that got hit, careful to mop up every drop. As the redhead pulled on his underwear and pants, Tsukki came back and cleaned up Hinata’s mess. “Well”, the blonde said as they stood together, appraising the small room that had become their impromptu love nest, “That’ll definitely change the way I look at this room.” Shōyō grinned up at his boyfriend. “I’m glad”, he laughed, “That’s what I wanted.”

As promised, Hinata did (eventually) wind up locking the equipment room as they left, making sure he locked the gym as well before heading back to the club room to change.

“Bring those home so we can wash them”, Tsukki called as he watched his boyfriend strip. He didn’t think he would ever be able to get over how insanely attractive he found the redhead, and though he was exhausted from their rendezvous, he would’ve happily fucked Hinata then and there once more if asked. The one thing that was anything less than perfect about the redhead was the giant bruise across his back, that turned Tsukki’s stomach every time he looked at it. The blonde actually had to be careful of where he looked during sex, because each time he looked down at the injury he felt his sex drive plummet, being replaced instead by a deep-seated despair. The bruise had melted from a deep wine color to a smattering of purples and greens and-- honestly-- even if it didn’t have the connotations attached to it that it did, it was still a really ugly bruise.

“What, you want some more?”, teased Hinata as he noticed his boyfriend staring. Tsukki rolled his eyes. (Of course, he did want more, but that really wouldn’t be practical.) “Come on, let’s go. I came here to walk you home, not to spend the rest of my life in this club room.” Hinata stuck out his tongue before bundling up his clothes. “Okay, let’s go!”, he chimed happily, skipping over to where Tsukki stood. “Wait, why _did_ you come here?”, Hinata asked as Tsukki locked up the club room. “I just told you, I came to walk you home.” “Yeah, but why?”, the redhead asked curiously, “You didn’t come any of the other days I had practice without you…”. Tsukki held up the book that was in his right hand. “I was at the bookstore a few blocks over, and figured I might as well come walk you home.” Hinata nodded in understanding, grilling the blonde about the book he’d barely even started as the two walked hand in hand back to the Tsukishima household.

“We’re home”, Tsukki called into the dark house ten minutes later as he kicked off his shoes. “Huh”, he said, trying his best to restrain his smirk, “I guess no one’s home”. “Wanna go take a bath?”, Hinata grinned into the darkness. Tsukki blinked twice, then shook his head. “I’m hungry”, he said, “I’ll meet you in the kitchen?”. Hinata nodded as he undid his shoelaces, tucking his shoes carefully beside Kei’s before starting down the hall.

All of a sudden, the light in the livingroom went on and a large group of people-- including Kei-- yelled, “Surprise!”. It took Hinata a few seconds to realize what was happening, at which point a massive smile spread across his face. There were _so many_ people there to wish him a happy birthday. (Hinata could not stop wondering: Where did they all hide their shoes?)

With the arrival of the redheaded ball of sunshine, the party was underway, and Kei had to say: his mom really outdid herself. The kitchen counter was filled with boxes of pizza and bottles of soda, and the table had bowls upon bowls of various snacks. Tsukki grabbed some punch (one of his mom’s specialties), and went over to a corner where he could see the entire event unfold. Of course, everyone wanted to talk to the man of the hour, and there were tons of people there just to see him. Hinata’s birthday wasn’t for another week and a half, but upon hearing that Daichi, Suga, and Asahi were in town, Tsukki’s mom decided to throw the party that weekend. Just about everyone the couple knew was there.

It looked like Daichi and Sugawara were still teasing Asahi, who was being clung to by Nishinoya (who, in turn, was being clung to by Tanaka). Tsukki could see from halfway across the room that Yamaguchi was blushing hard while talking to Yachi, but the good news was that Yachi seemed to be pretty pink, too. Hinata’s two friends from middle school were there-- what were their names again?-- and they were actually the people chatting with Hinata at that point. Kageyama was seated on the couch next to Kenma, and it was very clear that he was holding back from barraging the smaller boy with questions as he watched him play his handheld game. Tsukki’s heart sank as he quickly scanned the room. If Kenma was there, that meant for sure that… _yep._ Directly across the room from him stood Kuroo, who was chatting with a large group of people that weren’t from Miyagi, including Lev, Yaku, Bokuto, and Akaashi. Realistically, though, all Tsukki would’ve had to do was listen and he would’ve known immediately that Kuroo was there, as his dorky laugh pervaded the entire gathering. Coach Ukai and Takeda were talking with Akiteru and Saeko (why was she here?) while Tsukki’s mom bustled about trying to make sure that everyone had anything that they could possibly want.

Tsukki wasn’t one for parties, but as far as parties went, this was an excellent one. He watched Hinata tenaciously, as if his life depended upon keeping an eye on his small boyfriend. His heart sank every time he saw Hinata repeat the story of why he was living at Tsukki’s, though he was admittedly pleased to see that Hinata didn’t seem to stay down for long. With each reiteration, his rebound time got shorter and shorter, until Tsukki couldn’t tell if he was telling the story any more or not. Occasionally Hinata’s eyes would meet Tsukki’s, and a sincere, loving grin would cross the smaller boy’s face until he turned his attention back to whoever’s company he was keeping at that moment. Tsukki lived for those seconds, where he felt all the love they had between them flow across the room through a simple gaze.

Kei did eventually get up to get some food, though as he crossed the room, he stopped and bent down, pressing his mouth beside Hinata’s ear before whispering, “You know I adore you, right?”. He didn’t give the redhead a chance to reply, instead heading to the kitchen and knowing the goofy smile that sat on his boyfriend’s face. Tsukki was dismayed to find that his old spot was taken when he went to return to it, and was even more upset to find out that it was intentionally so. Kuroo and Bokuto stood propped against the wall, grinning at the blonde. “Oh ho ho, look who it is!”, called the owl, as the cat grinned from ear to ear. “Hey Tsukki”, called Kuroo, “Long time no see!”. Glaring at the sudden social intrusion, the blonde scoffed, “Who let you two in here?”. “Aww, don’t be like that!”, cried Bokuto, “We came all this way for your boyfriend’s party! You could try, you know, being _nice_ to us!” Kei snorted at the very suggestion. “Wait”, Tsukki said, chewing over his first bite of pizza, “Seriously though, who _did_ invite you?”. Kuroo grinned and said, “Your mom. Oh-- that’s not a joke. Your mother is actually the person who invited us.” “How does she have your contact info…?”, Tsukki asked, bewildered. “She messaged Kenma on facebook and told him to bring anyone that’s friends with Chibi-chan. He invited Lev and me” “Of course” “and I invited Bokuto” “Why not” “and Bokuto brought Akaashi. Yaku came with Lev-- Lev says they’re dating but Yaku says they’re not. I believe Lev, I think.” Tsukki had to laugh at this thought, though when he looked back, Yaku was, in fact, forcing Lev to bend down so he could fix his hair.

“We heard what happened to Shō-chan”, Kuroo said, looking away from the blonde, “We were really sorry to hear it." "If you guys need anything, just let us know”, added Bokuto. Tsukki nodded, biting into the crust of his pizza. “Thanks”, he mumbled, though once he swallowed he frowned. “Wait… how did you hear about _that_?”. “Chibi-chan told Kenma a few days ago-- I think on skype?-- and Kenma told us”, Kuroo replied, grinning at the blonde. “Of course”, sighed Tsukki.

“So things are going well with you guys?”, Kuroo asked the blonde earnestly. Kei nodded. _‘I’m even thinking about asking him to marry me’,_ Kei  thought to himself. No- no. He wasn’t going to tell _anyone_ about that plan until after it happened. Suddenly Tsukishima’s stomach turned, and an uncomfortable thought settled in the front of his mind; didn’t he tell… _someone…_ about the ring when he was in the hospital? He wasn’t sure, but for some reason he couldn’t shake the feeling that he did. “You take good care of him, you hear?”, the dark-haired man said sternly, straightening himself up so he could appear to be almost as tall as the blonde. Tsukki looked away from Kuroo. He knew his intentions were pure, but still… he was really _annoying._ “And take good care of yourself, too”, added Bokuto, “I know when things get tough for the people we love, we just want to do everything for them, but you gotta make some time to take care of yourself, too.” Kuroo scoffed. “Says the man who doesn’t sleep for _days_ when Akaashi has finals” “Shut up! He _needs me!_ ” “Yeah, but you can’t lecture Tsukki on something you don’t even follow through on!” “Yes I can! Ever hear of ‘do as I say, not as I do’?” “Yeah, but it’s easier to…”

The conversation between the two seemed to fade out as Tsukki’s attention turned to the redhead. For once, their advice was pretty accurate, and Tsukki knew that the next few months would be the first big trial their relationship would face-- second, if you counted the stuff with Hinata’s family. Not even a week prior, Shōyō had been rejected in just about the most harsh and bitter way, but there he was, laughing with Kenma, Kageyama, and Lev as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Oh, how Tsukki loved that boy...

It was nearly midnight when the last of the guests left the Tsukishima household, leaving only Kei, Akiteru, their mom, and Shōyō together. “Don’t worry about cleaning up, boys”, Tsukki’s mom called as the tall blonde began collecting stray cups and plates from around the living room, “I’ll take care of it. For now, I would appreciate if we could all sit down in the kitchen for a few minutes.”

Tsukki and Hinata followed Tsukki’s mom into the kitchen, only to find a small birthday cake with nineteen lit candles on the table. The blonde woman crossed the room and sat beside her older son, leaving room at the other side of the table for the couple to sit. At the party they’d had a big sheet cake that said “Happy 18th Birthday, Hinata!” on it. The whole group sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the redhead, who looked as if he couldn’t have been happier than he was in that moment. This cake was considerably smaller and largely unadorned, excepting the candles and some sprinkles on the top. This cake had clearly been made at home by Tsukki’s mom, for a small, intimate celebration between the group. The three Tsukishima’s sang ‘Happy Birthday’ once more to the redhead, who, with tears glimmering in his eyes, blew out the candles in one blow.

As Akiteru began serving the cake, the eldest blonde stood and crossed the room. “Now, Shōyō”, started the matriarch, “We know your birthday isn’t for another week and then some. But Akiteru and I wanted to give you our gifts early, since we’re pretty sure you can use them sooner rather than later.” The redhead flushed and began waving his hands. “Oh, no-- I don’t need anything! Thank you! This party was more than enough-- and you guys let me live here, and-- I really can’t accept anything else!” “We’re not giving you a choice, dear”, the blonde woman smiled as she offered out a small, carefully wrapped package. Hinata took the present and looked upon it for a long time as tears welled up in his eyes. “Are you s- sure?”, he asked, a tear dropping down onto his shirt below. Tsukki’s mom nodded. “You are a part of this family and you always will be, even if the day comes where you and Kei aren’t together anymore. Though-- of course-- I don’t expect that day will come. Akiteru and I-- and Kei, I’m quite sure-- _love you,_ and we want you to be happy. So please-- accept that gift from me. And, Akiteru, son, go get your present for Shōyō.”

Tears were streaming down Hinata’s face as he carefully opened the package. Inside, beneath the festive wrapping paper and glittery bow, was a cell phone-- a better phone than the one his father had destroyed. It was beautiful. As Hinata opened the box to examine the device, the reality of the situation hit him and he looked up at Tsukishima’s mom. “I really can’t accept this”, he sobbed, “it’s not like it’s just a one time purchase-- and I don’t have a job to pay the bill and--” “Shōyō, honey, stop”, laughed Tsukishima’s mom as she crossed the room to get some paper towel. When she returned to the table, she offered it to the smaller boy so he could wipe his tears. “We’re all on a family plan together, and it cost almost nothing to add you on. It’s really not a big deal. This way, you can go to practice or whatever and you _don’t_ need to take Kei’s phone with you, and you two _can_ communicate throughout the day. If I need to reach you, or if Akiteru needs to reach you, we can now. Besides-- like I said-- you’re a part of this family, so you need to be on our _family_ plan .” Hinata couldn’t hold back his tears. How could people who were complete _strangers_ two years prior be so loving and accepting towards him?

He sat there crying for a few minutes before suddenly standing up, walking over to the blonde woman, and hugging her. She stood and hugged him back tightly. “There, there. It’s okay! This isn’t something to cry about!”. She kissed the top of Hinata’s head, and the familiarness of it made the redhead realize where Kei had gotten that habit from. His crying slowed and finally he pulled away from Tsukki’s mother. “Now, go, sit, Akiteru has a present for you, too”, she commanded, and Hinata obeyed. The box Akiteru handed Hinata was much bigger than the one his mother had given him, and the redhead began to feel nauseous as he opened the wrapping paper.

“I heard the laptop that Kei got you broke, and since you’re now in your third year, you’re gonna need one!”, the shorter blonde grinned, sitting next to his mother once again. “Akiteru-san, I can’t--” “Yes, you can”, the older man interrupted, grinning broadly. “I insist upon it! I just got a substantial bonus with my promotion, so-- I assure you-- this didn't hurt my budget at _all_ ”. Akiteru's mother smiled proudly and rubbed her son’s back briefly before turning her attention back to the redhead.

“I… I don’t know what to say”, Hinata said as he stared at the gifts he’d been given. He was completely overwhelmed. One minute, his own family was disowning him, and the next minute Kei and his family were throwing him parties and giving him extravagant gifts… it all seemed so surreal.

When the group finally finished their cake-- after quite a few more tears from the newest member of the family-- Tsukki turned to Hinata. “I have something for you, too”, he said, taking the redhead’s hand in his, “Would you mind if we went for a walk?”. Hinata nodded, setting his gifts down on the table and allowing Tsukishima to lead him out of the house.

The two walked in silence, hand in hand, for several minutes before Tsukki suddenly stopped. “This isn’t your birthday present. I’m going to give you your birthday present on your actual birthday. It’s just…”. He thrust his hand in his pocket and produced a set of keys. The blonde then approached a door they’d stopped near, inserting the key into the lock and turning it before motioning for Hinata to follow him. “...Kei?”, Hinata asked, voice shaking.

The door opened up to a staircase, and at the top of the staircase were three more doors. Tsukki walked down to the middle one, opening it with a second key and walking in with Hinata close behind. Tsukki flipped the light switch and revealed… a small, completely empty apartment.

“...Kei?”, Hinata repeated, looking around uncertainly, “...where are we?”. Tsukki smiled softly as he turned back to the redhead. “This is our new home”, the blonde said, wrapping his arms around Hinata’s waist from behind. “Our… what?”, asked Hinata, who was in complete disbelief that he’d heart Tsukki correctly. “Starting three days from now, this is where we’re going to be living-- just you and me”, Kei said, holding Hinata close. The redhead wriggled, turning in Tsukishima’s arms so as to look him in the eye. Tsukki saw that Hinata was crying once more, and in his eyes was a mixture of hope, fear, and confusion. “What are you talking about?”, the redhead whispered, tears rolling down his cheek. Kei kissed his forehead and held the smaller boy once more.

“I felt… really shitty, the day we woke up to my mom and your dad on the phone together. I couldn’t believe that I’d been so careless when I opened the door to your dad--” Hinata began to interrupt, trying to assure the blonde that it wasn’t his fault, but Hinata’s own, however Tsukki kept talking over Hinata, who eventually relented, “--and hurt so many people that I loved with my carelessness. I realized, unfortunately, that as long as your family knew where to find you, that hurt might never go away. Your parents might keep coming-- with the cops, even, like your dad threatened. They could send letters, packages, anything to make our lives worse. I'm only worrying about the ‘worst case scenario’ here, by the way. And I realized that if I wanted to truly take that next step into our future together with you, this is how I’d have to do it. I want to protect you, I want to take care of you, I want to cherish every moment we spend together. In order to do that, I need to be able to keep you safe from anyone that could hurt you.”

Hinata pulled back and searched Kei’s eyes once more. “But-- but _how?_ How are you planning on doing this? I don’t have a job, and you don’t, and--”. Tsukki smiled softly, bringing his strong hands up to wipe away Hinata’s tears.

“I remembered that my aunt on my dad’s side is basically a real estate magnate. It was a pain to have to talk to _his_ side of the family again, and I have to go have lunch with her one day soon, but after explaining the situation, my aunt offered us... this _._ It’s not big or glamorous or anything, but she’s hardly charging us anything to stay here-- I get more from my dad monthly than what she’s asking for rent. You don’t have to worry about it. Although…” Tsukki stepped back to look Hinata in the eyes, “I _did_ get a job for the summer.” Hinata frowned, but Tsukki continued. “You know how I was at the bookstore earlier? Well, it wasn’t just to get this book. I got a job offer yesterday, and I took it today. Before you even ask-- they know I’m on the volleyball team, and they’re really cool about it. I just have to let my boss know about practices a day beforehand and they’ll work my schedule around it.” Hinata’s frown deepened. “Kei… I’m really sorry that you have to do this because of me”, he started sadly. Tsukki returned the frown. “I don’t _have_ to do anything for you. I’m _choosing_ to do this because I love you more than anything. Some people might think that a couple at our age getting an apartment together might be irresponsible, but I don’t care what others think. I love you, and I just want to be with you.”

Finally Hinata let the weight of Tsukki’s announcement hit him, and he was overcome with joy. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he explored the entire flat and explained to Kei all of the places they could put furniture. “And here can be a couch, and here can be a table, and we could put the bed here, and--” “Don’t you think the bed should go in the bedroom?” “We have a bedroom?!”.

The two couldn’t be happier as they walked down the street, back towards home. “The best part is”, the blonde said, interrupting the happy silence, “that it’s close to my mom’s house _and_ close to school. So no more bike rides over mountains for you first thing in the morning!”. Hinata grinned as he gripped Tsukki’s arm tighter. “Thank you, Kei. This is just… the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Tsukki stopped walking and pulled the smaller boy into him.

 _“You’re_ the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me”, the blonde said, punctuating his statement with a deep kiss.

 

“Oh… by the way… I haven’t told my mom yet, so don’t mention anything about this until I do, okay?”

“Kei…”

 


	8. Milestones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One day can change everything.

“ _You WHAT?!”_

Tsukishima Kei cringed at the question. He was pretty sure the whole neighborhood could hear his mother yelling.

“No. No-- no! Absolutely not! Tsukishima Kei, you are _not_ moving out on your own!”

“...well technically it would be with Shōyō…”.

A sharp glare reminded Tsukki that he should _probably_ keep his smart comments to himself, regardless of how true they may or may not have been. His mother may very well have been the angriest she’d ever been at Tsukki. He hadn’t really been much of a troublemaker as a kid, and largely kept to himself during adolescence, but now, mere months away from official ‘adulthood’, he’d set his mother off for perhaps the first time of his life.

“No. You two are going to stay right here. You thank your aunt for offering to help but explain to her that you will no longer need her assistance, since you and Shōyō are staying right here, at home, where you belong.” “Well, I mean, Shōyō already left home once, and--” “KEI.”

Tsukki sighed as he impatiently drummed his fingers on the kitchen table. He’d specifically waited until Hinata left for the one of the last official practice meets of the season to speak to his mother, anticipating that it wouldn’t be an easy discussion to have with her, but somehow he didn’t see it going _this_ poorly.“Mom--” “Don’t you _‘Mom’_ me, mister!” His mother was pacing the floor, stopping only to shoot dirty looks at her youngest son. _“Mom._ Stop. Sit down and just listen to me for a secon--” _“Excuse me?!_ Have you _forgotten_ who the parent is here?! _You’re_ going to sit there, and _you’re_ going to listen to **me**!” “Mom”, echoed a second voice. Akiteru, who’d been leaning in the doorframe since his mother started yelling, stepped forward into the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s listen to what Kei has to say.” With tears in her eyes, the boys’ mother rounded on her older son. “Don’t _you_ start with me! Akiteru, do you _know_ what your brother is trying to do?!” “Yes, mom, I do. Come on. Let’s hear him out before we make any rash decisions.” Akiteru put his arm around his mother’s shoulder and gently guided her to the table, seating each in the same spots they sat the night prior as they celebrated Hinata’s birthday. For once, Tsukki was immensely grateful for his brother’s intervention; he wasn’t sure how he was going to try to calm his mother down.

“Mom… I’ve thought this through a lot. Shōyō’s family will only keep harassing us-- all of us-- so long as they know where to find him. I mean-- I don’t know how much Akiteru told you, but his dad threatened to come back with the cops. Takeda-sensei said that, technically, until Shō’s eighteen, this is considered _kidnapping._ Of course, Shōyō said he’d fight it, but still. He doesn’t need that stress, and _you guys_ don’t need that stress.” “But Kei, it’s not even two weeks until his bir--” “Mom”, whispered Akiteru, placing his hand on top of hers, “Let him finish.” “You’re right”, Tsukki nodded solemnly, “It’s ten days until Shōyō turns 18. Even if he got sent to his grandma’s, I’m sure he could survive ten days. But it’s more than that.”

Kei sighed, leaning on his elbows as he nervously played with his bracelet. “I want to keep him safe. I want to make sure that, if he _ever_ sees his family again, it’s on _his_ terms, not theirs. I want to take responsibility for the mess we made together. I completely understand what a big step this is, but… with Shōyō by my side, I know we can face anything. I love him, mom, I really do.” Tsukki swallowed hard. He’d had to be upfront and honest with more people over the course of the last week than he had in the entire preceding seventeen and a half years. It was exhausting. “I’ve known since we started going out that he’s the only one for me. And yeah, I know we’re young, but even if it wasn’t this week, we’d eventually be starting our lives together. Why not do it at a time when it’d help solve a bunch of problems at once?” “Kei”, his mother cried, wiping her eyes frequently in order to prevent her tears from falling, “this may solve some problems, but it’ll also make a ton of new problems, too! Your lives are both going to get _so much_ harder!” Tsukki nodded. “I know. But Aunt Shizu was more than generous and isn’t asking for anything at all. I got a job because I’m _insisting_ on paying her rent, but she told me that she doesn’t need a single cent from us. I promised her-- and I’m promising you now-- that I’ll keep my grades up and still do volleyball. I got a job at the bookstore in town and they’re really, really awesome about my club activities. It won’t even be a problem.” “Kei, _please”,_ begged the blonde woman, _“please_ think this through! You both should be staying here through college! Is it because you don’t have enough room? You both can have my room, I’ll stay on the couch and--” “ _Mom._ ”, Tsukki said sternly, “I _have_ thought this through. _Extensively._ I strongly believe that this is the right decision. And-- you know what?-- if it’s not, we’ll come back home. ...well, as long as that’s an option.” “Kei!”, his mother exclaimed, finally bursting into tears, “You’re _always_ welcome here! Always! How could you even _say_ that?!”. Tsukki smiled sadly and shrugged. “I didn’t want to make assumptions.”

The older woman buried her face in her hands for a few moments before looking up. “I guess I should call the furniture delivery people and have them deliver Shōyō’s stuff to your new place, then”, she lamented. Finally Tsukki was really able to smile. Akiteru rubbed his mother’s back and grinned at his younger brother.

“Mom…?”, started Kei, “...do you want to go see the place?”. The blonde woman jumped up immediately, slamming her hands against the table. “You’d better _believe_ I do!”, she yelled forcefully at her youngest son. Tsukki laughed and stood as well. “Give me two minutes to go get changed and we can go.”

Not even ten minutes later, the trio pulled up to Tsukki’s new abode. Tears were still running from his mother’s eyes, though she did not say a word as she followed the young man up the stairs and in through the middle door. She stood silently in the center of the empty apartment for a long minute before turning back to her son. “I have some terms”, she declared. Tsukki laughed but nodded. “Yes?” “I am going to furnish this place for you. You both can pick out whatever your hearts desire, but I’m buying it. No son of mine is sleeping on the floor or going without pots and pans, and you’re _certainly_ not taking your furniture from home. I need something for you two to sleep on when you come visit.” Grinning, Tsukki raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, “Visit? Mom, we live ten minutes away _by foot._ We’re literally in the same neighborhood!” “Yes, and? What if you’re tired? What if you’re sick? A mother needs to be prepared for anything and everything!” Tsukki laughed in spite of himself, sighing, “Alright, that’s fine, I can accept those ter--” “AND I’m taking one of you grocery shopping _every week._ I don’t care which one of you it is, but I am stocking your fridge. You are both far too young to be going without proper nutrition.” “Mom, that’s a little--” “ _AND_ I’m going to make dinner for you both at least twice a week” “Mom” _“AND_ I absolutely _insist_ that you give both your brother and myself a spare key, God forbid there are any emergencies that pop up.” _“Fine,_ mom, but that’s it! Anything else and I retract my acceptance!”

Tsukki’s mom stared at her youngest son for a moment before pulling him into a hug. “Fine. That’s it. I’ll _try_ not to be any more overbearing than I already am.” Kei smiled as he stooped down to return the hug. “Thanks, mom. I know it’s just because you care.”

Moments later, she was crying again, and as she stepped back from her youngest son, she wiped her eyes. “If I’d known seventeen years ago that my baby was going to grow up and move out before he even became an adult, I would’ve made your father give me another child.” Akiteru frowned. “But mom, I still live at home…”. The matriarch waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, but you’re _different”,_ earning a deeper frown from her older son, “You’re not the _baby._ I’ve had you for 24 years already.” “Gee, thanks ma’”, Akiteru mumbled.

As the group piled back in the car, Tsukki’s mom lamented, “Well, the one thing I’m grateful for is that you two will be close to home. If either of you needs _anything,_ you’re to come straight to us.” She sighed deeply before continuing, “I guess it’s a good thing I put Shōyō on our phone plan after all… You two are gonna need all the help you can get from here on out. Oh-- and I’m serious, _both_ of you need to keep your grades up. And--” “Mom”, laughed the tall blonde in the back seat, “didn’t you _just_ say you were going to try not to be overbearing?”.

 

Over the course of the next two days, the Tsukishima family (including Hinata) amassed just about anything one could possibly need for a new apartment. Tsukki had to keep reminding himself that he was going along with his mother’s whims because it made her feel better, otherwise he would’ve put back half the things she got him. (Why does he need a crockpot if she’s going to be cooking half their meals? What exactly was a dutch oven? And in what world could he and Hinata _possibly_ need 20 coasters at once in that tiny apartment?)

Their friends all offered to help them move, though the boys were happy to politely decline, as all new purchases were brought straight to the empty apartment, leaving only Hinata’s stuff (which was still largely in boxes from his move to the Tsukishima residence) and Tsukki’s stuff (of which, there was not much).

June 15th came much too quickly for the blonde woman’s liking, and though she helped her son(s) move into their new apartment, she couldn’t help but wipe tears from her eyes all throughout the day. It only took half the afternoon to move everything, but Tsukki’s mom _insisted_ on taking all three boys out to dinner. The sky was painted in hues of orange and pink as Kei’s mother and brother stood in the front doorway, finally ready to say good-bye.

“Well, this is it…”, sniffled his mother, earning another eye roll from the tall blonde. “Mom, we’re literally ten minutes away.. _. By foot!_ You’ve seen more of us today than you have in _weeks.”_ “I know”, she sobbed, wiping her tears away once more. The blonde woman took in a deep breath before resolutely saying, “Well. Your fridge is stocked. Everything you could need is all set up. All that’s left is for you two to unpack your boxes, and you’ll be… y- you’ll be…”. Akiteru hugged his mother to him as he flashed a grin, finishing her sentence with, “...on your own.” “Thanks for all your help”, nodded Tsukki. “And thanks for dinner!”, added Hinata. “J- Just remember, we’re only a phone call away if you need _anything.”_ Both boys nodded, and exchanged hugs with the two who were leaving. As Akiteru and his mother turned to step into the apartment hallway, Tsukki patted his boyfriend on the back. “Oh, geez, where are our manners? Shō will walk you guys out!” “Oh, no, that’s not necess--”, started Akiteru, but a glimmer in Tsukki’s eyes made him backpedal quickly. “Actually, you know what? That’d be great. I’m sure mom’s pretty tired after all the crying she did today. Thanks, Shōyō!”. Hinata raised an eyebrow to Kei before quickly slipping on his shoes and bounding out the door. “Bye!”, waved Tsukki as his mother and brother disappeared down the stairs.

 

Two minutes later, Hinata returned to his new apartment. “It’s a good thing you asked me to show them out!”, he yelled into the apartment as he slipped off his shoes, “The door downstairs doesn’t automatically lock, so I… had… to... Um… Kei?”. Hinata looked around and couldn’t see Tsukki anywhere. The living room was empty, the kitchen was empty, and from where he stood, he could see that the bathroom door was still ajar.

“Kei?”, he called once more before trekking into the only possible place the blonde could be-- their bedroom.

Hinata’s heart stopped as soon as he crossed the threshold into his new bedroom. Just inside the room was Tsukki, kneeling on one knee before Hinata. Tsukki gestured for the redhead’s hand, and Shōyō obliged, stepping closer as tears instantaneously flooded his vision.

“Shōyō”, the blonde started solemnly, “To be honest, I never really thought of the future before you. It always seemed so far off and ambiguous that I honestly didn’t think about anything besides what I might like to do for a career. But once I met you, I quickly fell for you, and though it took me a long time to work up the courage to ask you out, I found myself thinking more and more about this esoteric ‘future’ everyone was always talking about. I still wasn’t too sure about much, but the one thing I _did_ know was that, no matter what, I wanted my future to have you in it.”

“Today we took our first step into what they call ‘the real world’, together-- our first big step into that ‘future’. And I know now more than ever that I want to take the next big step into the future together as well. I want to be sure, no matter what happens, that our futures are intertwined. I know that we’re young, but that doesn’t change how I feel for you. It doesn’t change how deeply I love you, or that I would give my life for you without a second thought. You are everything to me and have been since we first started dating. And there’s nothing that would make me happier… than if you’d consider being my everything… forever.”

Tsukki reached down into his pocket, withdrawing his hand once more. “Hinata Shōyō”, he said, voice shaking as he looked upon the reddened, tear-stained face of the boy he loved more than anything in the world, “Will you _please_ marry me?”.

Hinata’s head had been spinning as Tsukki spoke. He wished more than anything that, somehow, someway, he’d been prescient enough to record this moment; the words that had come out of the blonde’s mouth were the most moving words Hinata had ever heard in his life. It was no surprise, then, that, when Kei finally asked the big question, Hinata found himself trembling, almost unable to see the blonde through the tears that would not stop flowing.

“Oh, Kei”, he sobbed, his voice shaky and uneven, “Yes! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”. Before Tsukki could slip the ring onto his boyfriend’s finger, Hinata crumpled to the ground, throwing his arms around the limber blonde as he sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt. Tsukki smiled, wrapping his own arms around the redhead and pulling him into a deep embrace. The two sat on the floor like that for several minutes while Tsukki waited for Hinata to regain some semblance of composure. Finally, when the sniffling had died down to a bare minimum, Kei sat back and took Hinata’s hand in his own. “You okay?”, he grinned, looking down into the redhead’s eyes. Hinata nodded his head enthusiastically, though the tears had already begun replenishing themselves.

Tsukki brought Hinata’s left hand up to his lips and gently kissed his knuckles. As he slowly lowered the hand he held, his other hand rose and carefully slipped the ring he’d purchased so long ago onto the redhead’s ring finger. It was a perfect fit. Hinata bit his lip, trying to choke back tears as he marvelled at his own hand.

“I love you, Shōyō”, Kei whispered, leaning forward and pecking the redhead on the lips.

“I love you too”, Hinata cried, a steady stream of tears flowing down from the corners of his eyes once more.

Hinata leaned up and returned the kiss, pressing his lips deeply into Kei’s. His touch was meant to show the blonde nothing but the deep and sincere love he felt, but as Tsukki’s reciprocal affection grew more amorous, the redhead found that he had a hard time keeping his intentions chaste. He drew his arms up, running his fingers through Tsukki’s golden locks as their lip-lock continued to climb in intensity. Soon Hinata’s kisses were harder, his nips rougher, his petting slowly morphing into pulling and teasing as his desire mounted.

Hinata pulled back for a moment, looking Kei up and down briefly before diving back into the kiss with nothing but raw lust on his tongue. He was beyond desperate for Kei, as if the slightest space between them was actually physically painful for him. He quickly toppled the blonde over, knocking Tsukki onto his back and climbing on top of him all without breaking their kiss. Hinata felt as if he was on fire, and the only thing that he knew could put him out was Tsukki’s love; he was hopelessly sick, and the only cure was to drink in as much of Tsukishima as humanly possible; he was famished, and the only thing that could nourish him was the heat beneath him. He felt as if he could die if some part of Kei was not inside of him in the next minute. It was no longer a simple want; Hinata _needed_ Tsukki. The blonde’s gentle words had set him alight, and he was burning out of control.

Hinata cried out when Tsukki slipped his hand up the redhead’s shirt, the heat of Kei’s skin scalding his own when they connected. He moaned deeply into Tsukki’s mouth as he ground into his eager erection. “Kei”, Hinata gasped through their lips, _“I need you.”_ Tsukki nodded before kissing up into the younger man. “Where is--” “Desk drawer”, interrupted the blonde knowingly. Hinata sprung up and leapt across the bedroom, calling behind him, “Don’t move!”. Tsukishima grinned as he leaned up on his elbows. “You know… we’re right next to the bed…” “I don’t care”, Hinata replied as he slammed the desk drawer shut, “There’s no time. I need you _now._ ” Somehow in the trek across the room Hinata managed to strip completely, and once he returned he began to tear at the blonde’s pants while Tsukki pulled his own shirt over his head. The redhead made fast work of the lube application, moving as quickly as he possibly could in order to get Tsukki inside him that much sooner.

The blonde watched in awe as Hinata impaled himself on Tsukki’s rock-hard cock. “K- Kei!”, he cried out, a tear leaking out of his left eye as he bore down as deeply as he could. _“Fuck”,_ groaned the blonde, feeling his face glow in awe of the divinely sexual being on top of him. Tsukki gripped Hinata’s hips, guiding the redhead carefully as his eyes remained transfixed on the array of erotic faces being made before him. Hinata flushed a deeper shade of red every time he made eye contact with the blonde, which Tsukki found absolutely irresistible.

The way the redhead moved his body was beyond tantalizing, and in normal circumstances Tsukki would’ve been overjoyed to lay beneath Hinata and watch him writhe. However, this was not a normal circumstance by any means, and Kei found himself being overcome with greed. With great effort, he toppled the redhead, pushing him onto the floor before getting up to his knees while the redhead flailed, trying to get onto all fours as quickly as humanly possible.

“Kei!”, he moaned again as the blonde reentered him. Hinata couldn’t hold back and was moaning and whining more than ever before as Tsukki fucked him senseless. The blonde was having trouble finding anything aggressive or inflammatory to say; instead, his mind was stuck on the fact that he was now engaged to the beautiful mess beneath him. “Shōyō”, he groaned, pulling the redhead back into him by his hips as if he were a rag doll. Hinata mewled and moaned in anticipation of whatever dirty thing was about to come out of his boyfriend’s mouth. “Tell me again”, Kei grunted as he slammed into his ass, “that you want to marry me”. Hinata was not anticipating something so _sweet_ to come out of Tsukki’s mouth and found that he was unable to cope with such a sentiment. “K- Kei”, he cried, half moaning in pleasure, half sobbing as he was overcome with joy, “Yes! Yes, I want to marry you! I want to be with you forever and ever, Kei!”.

It wasn’t long before both boys had finished, collapsing into each other as if they’d just completed a marathon. It took a lot of coaxing, but Tsukki managed to get Hinata into their bed just a few feet away, where they were then able to cuddle properly. The redhead couldn’t stop staring at the ring that now resided on his left ring finger.

“Kei…”, started the smaller boy as he snuggled up to the blonde, “...I absolutely love the ring. It’s beautiful. It’s… it’s just absolutely perfect.” “I’m glad!”, Tsukki laughed, holding Hinata close to him, “I’ve had it for a long time, and I recently started to wonder if maybe it _wasn’t_ something you’d like after all.” “No, no! I love it! I absolutely love it!”, Hinata reassured, beaming up at the boy he loved. After a moment’s pause, however, he turned back to Tsukki and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, you’ve had it for a long time?”, he asked, a curious look glimmering in his eyes. Tsukki laughed. “Well… I actually bought it-- ah, this is kindof embarrassing-- I bought it when we went to Tokyo.” “You mean at last month’s training camp?”, Hinata asked, cocking his head as he tried to figure out the exact logistics of how (and where) Tsukki would’ve been able to purchase a thing while the team was on lockdown on Nekoma High property. “Um… no”, blushed the blonde, “...I bought it when we went to Tokyo with my brother.”

Hinata jumped up and turned to face his boyfriend. “You _what?!_ ”, he exclaimed, his face awash in disbelief. Tsukki smiled nervously. “Um… Yeah. When you were buying your yukata, I--” “You _what?!_ ...but wait, I don’t remember you buying anything…”. Tsukki grinned. “You were taking _forever_ to pick out a yukata and I was just kinda wandering around. I came across their jewelry section, saw that, and needed to buy it. I knew…”

Tsukki’s voice trailed off for a moment as he allowed his thoughts to briefly wander off into memories of that day. He soon shook himself out of it, returning back to Hinata and smiling softly as he tucked an errant lock behind his ear. “...I knew back then that you were the only one for me. I didn’t know when I was going to ask you to marry me, but I wanted to be prepared, just in case the perfect moment popped up. I’ve been carrying it in my wallet since that day.” Hinata’s eyes welled with tears once more, and Tsukki pulled the small redhead back down into him.

“...I can’t believe it”, Hinata said resolutely, wiping the tears that had run down his face. “What can’t you believe?”, asked Tsukki, running his hand through Hinata’s hair. The smaller boy seemed to think for a moment before grinning up at the blonde, “Any of it! I can’t believe any of this! I can’t believe we have our own apartment, I can’t believe that-- that we’re _engaged_ now, I can’t believe that you’ve been ready to marry me since we started dating, I just--!!! It’s all amazing. It’s ridiculous and it’s amazing. It’s just…” “...Ridiculously amazing?”, grinned the blonde. “Exactly!”, Hinata nodded.

The redhead leaned back in the bed, snuggling up against Kei and interlacing their fingers. “I know it’ll be a long time before we get married”, Hinata started, “...but I can’t _wait_ to be Tsukishima Shōyō.”

Kei had never heard a happier sentence in his life.  
  



	9. Learning the Ropes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei's first day of work!

“Do you have everything?”  
“Yep.”  
“You have your phone?”  
“Yes.”  
“Your keys?”  
“Mmhmm.”  
“Your wallet?”  
“Yes.”  
“A lunch?”  
“What? No. I'm only gonna be there for four hours. I don't need to bring food with me.”  
“Oh my God, should I have made you a lunch? Do you want me to go make one now? I am such a bad boyfriend! I can't believe I forgot to make you a lunch!”

Today was Tsukishima Kei’s first day at his first job ever. It was only a part time position at the local book shop, adding up to about 20 hours a week, but Hinata was freaking out. Neither boy had held a job before, and Tsukki only sought this job out after a whole mess of drama with Hinata’s family caused the couple to move into an apartment together. They’d lived on their own for three days, and in those three days Kei’s mother stopped by a total of ten times, whether it was “just to drop something off” or “since I was in the neighborhood”.

“Shō, it’s fine, I just--”  
“No, let me run and make you a lunch!”  
“I’m leaving now.”  
_“Kei!”_

Tsukki sighed as he trudged down the street. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain to Hinata that just because they were now living together didn’t mean that the redhead had to become a housewife all of a sudden. He’d been very self-reliant during the first seventeen years of his life and could more than take care of himself; he didn’t _need_ Hinata to be going out of his way with stuff like that. Tsukki also felt like Hinata’s over-eagerness to please him was based in his desire to repay the blonde for their new living arrangement, rather than being based in love.

Kei was surprisingly feeling pretty excited about his new job. He’d always been an avid reader, and he’d never been a fan of talking to people, so working in a shop filled with books where both customers and employees generally endeavored to be quiet was practically a godsend. The owners of the store were also incredibly nice people. Tsukki had known them casually as a patron of their shop, but during his interview he talked with them at length and found that they were kind, generous, and eager to work with someone who shared their passion.

The blonde’s first shift would only be four hours, from 10am to 2pm, as he learned the ropes and did some basic intake paperwork. He arrived ten minutes early, much to the pleasure of his new bosses. Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi were an older couple, and were happy to be able to hire a strong young man to help with stocking. Though Kei wouldn’t be spending too much time behind the cash register, the owners made sure to train him on its operation before anything else, just in case its usual operator-- Mrs. Hayashi-- was unavailable at any given time.

“...and that’s really it. Of course, you do need to be polite, but we find that many of our customers come in knowing exactly what they’re looking for, so you don’t need to worry about upselling them or anything. Although, given your personal interest in literature, I’m sure no one will complain if you give out recommendations!” Mr. Hayashi looked around the shop for a moment, his eyes lighting up as he found what he was looking for. “Oh! Perfect! Good Morning, Saito-san!”, the older man grinned as a man approached the counter with three books in his hand. Turning to the blonde, Mr. Hayashi said, “Tsukishima-kun, this is one of our most regular customers, Saito Takeshi. Not only is he an avid reader, but he is also a published author! We're honored to have someone with such tremendous notoriety shopping at our little store. Oh, and, Saito-san, this is our new employee, Tsukishima Kei. I’m sure you two will be seeing a lot of each other!”. The stranger smiled pleasantly at Tsukki. While still several inches shorter than the blonde, Saito was still fairly tall, and both men stood towering over the elderly shop owner. The newcomer’s auburn hair was medium length and fell effortlessly around his face, framing his stone-grey eyes without obscuring them. He was fairly pale and the pronounced circles beneath his eyes suggested that he generally did not accomplish much by means of sleep. He only appeared to be a few years older than Tsukki at most, but the blonde couldn’t help but feel like Saito’s aura commanded a sort of respect. His whole air seemed to suggest a man who was both remarkably intelligent and dangerously aloof.

“It’s a pleasure”, he smiled at Tsukki, placing his books down on the counter, “And-- yes-- we will most definitely be seeing a lot of each other.” Mr. Hayashi smiled up at the blonde. “Saito-san is in every day we get a delivery, which is usually two or three times a week.” “Yeah, I like to get a jump on any new books that might be out that day, and Hayashi-sama generously gets his hands on any rare books that come his way for me. And, really, you can’t beat this shop’s prices.” “Oh, Saito-san! You’re so generous with your compliments! It's always our greatest pleasure to be able to help out such a loyal customer!”, exclaimed the older man, bowing slightly. “So, Tsukishima-kun, first you’re going to start by scanning the barcode on the first book. I find it helps if you ask the customer if they found everything they were looking for, that way…”

Both of the owners were very pleased with how quickly Tsukki picked up the tasks around the store. It didn’t even take twenty minutes for the blonde to fully master use of the register, despite it being his first time ever using one. They then introduced him to the stockroom and began explaining their library system. In the four hours that he worked, Tsukki learned just about everything there was to know about the bookshop. All that was left was for him to put that knowledge into practice.

He left the shop at 2pm sharp and ran a few errands before heading back home, where he found a frantic Hinata pacing the floors. When the door opened, the redhead sped across the living room. “What happened?!”, Hinata exclaimed. Tsukki raised an eyebrow as he shook off his shoes. “...I don’t know, you tell me?”, the blonde asked back. He walked over to the kitchen, where he set his keys and wallet on the counter. “You’re late!”, frowned Hinata. Kei pulled his phone from his pocket, clicking the button to activate the screen, which then blared “15:42”. Tsukki sighed and set his phone down as well. “They kept me a little longer”, he lied, trying to maintain eye contact with the redhead, “...sorry. I should’ve called.” “Damn right you should’ve called!”, Hinata exclaimed as he walked over and wrapped his arms around the tall blonde. “...I was worried.” Tsukki bent down and kissed the top of Hinata’s head. “There’s nothing to worry about. I mean, I’m only twenty minutes from here, and--” “My _dad”,_ the redhead interrupted.

“I know it’s not logical, but I was worried that my dad somehow found out where you worked and waited for you to get out, and then…”. The redhead’s voice trailed off, and Tsukki suddenly found himself feeling like absolute shit for not letting Hinata know he would be home late. “I… I’m sorry”, he choked out, more sincerely than his previous apology, “...I really didn’t think about that.” Hinata’s grip on the blonde tightened, and he could feel Hinata quivering slightly. The two stood in the kitchen holding each other for several minutes before the redhead finally cried, “I just worry about you, you know? I love you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you-- and-- and I really hate that you have to work while I stay here all day-- and-- you won’t even let me do things to help you!”. Hinata’s slight quivers had turned into violent shaking as he cried out. “Shō, baby”, the blonde said, holding Hinata to him, “You don’t _need_ to help me. I’m working because it’s the right thing to do, and I want to have a safety net in case--” “I know I don’t _need_ to help you, you jerk! I _want_ to help you! You spend all this time doing everything for me, and what do I do? Forget to make you a lunch?!”

Tsukki sighed, burying his nose in Hinata’s hair. “Shōyō, I didn’t _need_ a lunch--” “I know that!”, Hinata cried, pushing himself out of the blonde’s embrace, “But I wanted to do something-- anything-- for you! I know you don’t _need_ to be taken care of, but I _want_ to take care of you! I _want_ to be there for you the same way that you’re there for me, but you just won’t let me!”. With that, Hinata stormed off towards the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Kei sighed in frustration. He turned around and leaned his elbows on the counter, then promptly buried his face in his hands. From where he stood, he could hear the faint sound of Hinata’s sobs, and while it absolutely broke his heart, he had no idea what to do. He and Hinata had their fair share of arguments, but he’d never had to deal with the redhead walking off on him. Was he supposed to respect his space and let Hinata come to him? Or was he supposed to go in and try to explain himself better? He had no idea.

And really, what was he going to explain? He couldn’t just come out and tell the redhead why he was really late, but the reasons he’d already given Hinata were clearly not good enough. After a few minutes spent agonizing over how to handle the situation, he stood up and walked across the small apartment to the couch. He threw himself down, frowning as he heard Hinata’s sobs become more consistent. Not even a minute after laying down, though, the doorbell rang. Tsukki groaned, lifting himself off the couch as if he were a zombie, and trudged towards his front door. He slipped on his shoes and slowly made his way down the stairs.

“Hi, honey! Your brother and I were in the neighborhood and--”, Kei’s mom cheered as she extended a large tupperware container filled with food. She stopped short as soon as her eyes met her son’s, though, the smile quickly fading from her face. “Kei, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”, she asked, handing off the tupperware to Akiteru before wrapping her arms around her youngest son. Tsukki sighed and laid his head on his mother’s shoulder, though his arms hung at his side. “I dunno, ma”, he said sadly as his mother pulled away, “Shōyō’s upset with me, and I don’t really know how to fix it.” “Well, what’s he upset about?”, asked the blonde woman, glancing quickly to her older son. “I had my first day of work today and--” “That’s right! How was it? Did you like--” “ _Mom.”_

Tsukki sighed once more before continuing on with his story. “...and after work, I ran some errands for his birthday, since we don’t really get much time apart but I still really want to do something nice for him. I didn’t call Shō to tell him that I was gonna be late, because I didn’t think I’d be able to lie to him directly like that, and I definitely didn’t want to explain _why_ I was late…” “Mmhmm”, nodded his mother. “...so I get home and he’s really upset-- like, _really_ upset. I told him that work kept me late, but he started saying how worried he was that, like, his dad found out where I was working or something, and then he started crying about how he... didn’t... make me lunch today? And I told him that I didn’t need a lunch, and then he ran into the bedroom and slammed the door.”

“Oh, Kei, baby…”, sighed the blonde woman, “I love you, but has anyone ever told you that you can be a little-- ah-- _dense?_ ”. Tsukki frowned at his mother. This wasn’t exactly the type of consolation he had in mind. “You’re not listening to him, honey. Even from what little you just shared of your story, it’s plain to see that you’re not paying attention to what the real problem is.” “The real problem…?”, repeated Tsukki.

Taking in a deep breath, his mother continued. “I have done the very best I could in raising two sons by myself. It really hasn’t been easy, but at the end of the day, it was all worth it because I raised two strong and independent men who _know_ that their momma loves them. But… that independence of yours is a double-edged sword. Because you are so independent and so intelligent, you are more than capable of taking charge and dealing with things that need to be dealt with-- that’s how you wound up living on your own with your boyfriend at the ripe old age of seventeen, after all. But that very same independence also makes it difficult for people to become close to you. You take care of Shō because you love him, right?”--Tsukki nodded--”...so why on earth would you think that Shōyō doesn’t want to take care of _you_ ?” Tsukki frowned. “I don’t _need_ anyone to take care of me”, he said stubbornly. His mother laughed and took his hand. _“Exactly._ That is precisely my point. You _don’t_ need anyone to take care of you, and I'm sure on some level you don’t want it, either. But people _want_ to take care of the people they love. I’m sure Shō was worried because you were late, of course. But the bigger picture is that you’re doing all these things to make _his_ life better, and he can’t even be certain that you’re safe.”

Tsukki took a long minute to digest the words his mother said before looking up at her. “So what do I _do?”_ , he asked sadly. The blonde woman took the tupperware from Akiteru and handed it to Kei. “Take this. Go upstairs. Go talk to Shōyō. Apologize for not calling him, apologize for not letting him take care of you, and, most importantly, apologize for not looking at the bigger picture. I know it’ll be hard, and it always sucks to have to set your pride to the side, but you need to let him do things for you, even if there isn't anything that you particularly need done. It's all give and take, my love.” Tsukki nodded, smiling softly as his mother leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You take care of each other, okay? Call me if it doesn’t work out and we can talk about other ways you can handle this.”

Tsukki bid his family goodbye before heading back up the stairs. He set the tupperware on the counter then walked over to the bedroom door; his heart broke as he listened to Shōyō’s continued, gentle sobs.

In an effort to be as mindful of Hinata’s space as possible while still being there for him, Tsukki decided to knock on their bedroom door. Hinata fell silent, and though he wasn’t sobbing anymore, he also wasn’t inviting the blonde in. “...Shōyō?”, Tsukki asked apprehensively, his heart in his throat as he spoke. “...yes?”, asked the redhead, punctuating his question with a tremendous sniffle. “Can I come in?”, Tsukki asked. A large pause followed, but eventually Hinata called, “Sure”.

Kei entered their shared bedroom to find a large lump of blanket in the middle of the bed. He couldn’t help but giggle as he sat down beside it and began rubbing what he assumed to be the lump’s back. The two were silent for a long while before the blonde finally spoke. “I’m sorry that I’m making things so tough for you”, he said quietly, “It’s just… I don’t know, I didn’t move us here so that you could take care of me-- I did it so I could protect you. The truth is that I _don’t_ need anyone to take care of me. I’ve always been very independent. And it’s hard for me to just try to say, ‘ok you can take care of me’ when I don’t _need_ anything.” He paused for a moment, stilling his hand before adding, “All I need from you-- all I’ve ever needed from you-- is for you to love me, and for you to take care of the you that I love.”

A small face peeked out from under the blankets. “...do you mean that?”, came Hinata’s tearful voice. Tsukki smiled and nodded. His heart melted as he looked at the redhead’s flushed and tear-stained face. Tsukki rolled onto the bed, prying the blankets up from under the redhead before throwing them over himself as well. Hinata’s body was warm, instantly heating up the blonde’s hands as they moved over him. The redhead buried himself inside Kei’s arms, clinging to him desperately inside their fortress of blankets.

“I want you to make me a promise”, squeaked the redhead, his face pressed against Tsukki’s chest. “Anything for you”, came the blonde’s response. “...Promise me that if you ever need anything-- if there’s ever any way that I can take care of you at all-- Promise me that you’ll tell me.” Tsukki seemed to think this over for a moment before nodding. “Alright. I can promise that.” “Good”, smiled Hinata, looking up at Kei, “You’re all I need in order to be happy. And I want to do everything I can to take care of you, too, so that I can be everything for you as well.” “Tch, you dumbass”, grinned the blonde, “did you not listen to a word I said the other day? You already _are_ my everything. In fact, you basically just paraphrased my speech when I proposed!” The redhead shrugged and smiled mischievously. “You should be happy, then. That just means we’re on the same page.” “No”, laughed Tsukishima, “that just means you're a plagiarist.” “Plai...ger…” _“Really?_ You _seriously_ don't know what that means? That’s it. I'm holding summer school for you.”

As the two bickered back and forth, a loud, low growling interrupted their conversation. The redhead flushed slightly and, looking away from his partner, laughed, “I was too nervous to eat today…”. Tsukki smiled softly. “You act like it was _your_ first day of work…”. The redhead shrugged and said, “I dunno. I was nervous for you. In fact, you _still_ haven't told me about your day yet, so I _still_ have no clue if my nervousness was justified or not. Why don't we go have a late lunch or early dinner and you can tell me all about it?”. Tsukki shook his head. “You don't need food, remember?” “I… huh?” “You _just_ said that I'm all you need. I'm here, so you don't need to eat.” “Kei…”, sighed Hinata exasperatedly, “You _know_ what I meant.” Plastering on the most innocent face he owned, Tsukki asked, “What? Were you _lying_ when you said I was all you need?”  
“...Kei…”

 


	10. The Best Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Hinata's Birthday!  
> -or-  
> Hinata cries at literally everything.

Tsukki was more prompt in returning home from work over the next two days. He’d learned a lot in the little bit of time he spent at the bookstore, and had gotten to know more of the regulars of the little shop. So far his job was going far better than he could’ve anticipated.

As Tuesday turned into Wednesday, Hinata was woken up in the middle of the night by a series of kisses being planted on him by Tsukishima. “Nnh, what time is it?”, the redhead grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes. _“Happy Birthday”,_ whispered the blonde, wrapping himself around Hinata. Shōyō grinned into the darkness. “Did you really wake up just to wish me a happy birthday?”. Tsukki pulled his lips from Hinata’s neck, smiling himself, and laughed, “I didn’t _wake_ up… I stayed up. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss being the first person to wish you a happy birthday now that we live together.” Hinata laughed and rolled toward the blonde. “Thank you, Kei”, he smiled, pressing his lips to the blonde’s.

Despite the sleepiness that he couldn’t quite shake off, Hinata was really touched by the lengths his boyfriend went to just to make the first second of his birthday special. His kisses overflowed with love as he groggily pressed his lips against those of his lover.

“Mm”, the blonde started as he pulled away from Hinata’s mounting advances, “I hope you don’t have plans, cuz we have a busy day today”. Hinata raised an eyebrow. “Why? What are we doing?”, he asked. Tsukki laughed, “Sorry, baby, it’s a surprise”, and began kissing Hinata once more. The redhead reciprocated, despite the numerous questions he had on the topic of this ‘surprise’; he knew that anything Tsukki had resolved to keep a secret would be next to impossible to get out of him, and, frankly, he didn’t have the energy to argue with his beloved boyfriend at that point. As Hinata kissed Tsukki, he found his tiredness settling in once more. He surmised that Kei must be tired as well, since the blonde’s tongue seemed to be moving slower and slower while his hand had stopped roaming the redhead’s body completely, stopping instead to rest on his hip.

Hinata wasn’t quite sure when he had fallen asleep; the next thing he knew was that he was being shaken slightly. “Shōyō”, came a whisper, “Shōyō, get up, we’re gonna be late!” “Nnh, what time is it?”, Hinata asked once more. Tsukki couldn’t help but smile softly at the sweet boy he loved so much. “It’s almost 9 o’clock”, he said gently, running his fingers through Hinata’s hair as he tried to rouse him. “What?”, asked the redhead, peeking out from one eye, “How are _you_ up so early?”. Tsukki laughed and shook his head. “This isn’t early, my love. Now come on. I made you breakfast.”

Hinata rose slowly, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes as best as he could as he followed Tsukki to the kitchen. When he finally opened his eyes, a massive smile spread from cheek to cheek. In Hinata’s spot at the table was a stack of pancakes that was decorated with sprinkles and the messy words “Happy Birthday” in red icing. Tsukki blushed a little bit as he sat down at his (much less extravagant) plate. Hinata followed suit, sitting down at the table, before finally looking up at the blonde. “Kei!”, he exclaimed happily, tears sitting in the corners of his eyes, “This is _amazing!_ Thank you so much!”. The blonde couldn’t help but grin as he leaned forward and grabbed the bowl of strawberries. “I wanted to do something special…”, he started, unsure of what to say. He absolutely _loved_ doing nice things for Hinata but often found that he didn’t know how to respond to the redhead’s overwhelming expressions of gratitude. “This is seriously the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me”, Hinata grinned with a mouth full of pancakes. They were admittedly a little bit gritty and slightly underdone in the middle, but Hinata was going to eat every last bite and ask for seconds, because Tsukishima had gone out of his way to do something so wonderful for him. The blonde laughed and shook his head, swallowing his food before saying, “You say that about _everything_ I do for you”. Hinata nodded enthusiastically, breaking off another forkful of food. “That’s because everything you do for me is the nicest thing that anyone’s ever done for me!”, Hinata enthused.

After breakfast was done, both boys got dressed, with Tsukki constantly urging the now-18-year-old to move faster. “Um, Kei”, Hinata started as he pulled his shoes, “Can I ask you a question? It’s just-- there’s something I want to talk to you about, and--” The blonde frowned. “I’m sorry, baby, but can it wait? I’m really worried we’re gonna be late”. Hinata nodded, tying his other shoe and standing. “So where are we going, that we have to be on time?”, asked Hinata, following his boyfriend out the first door. “You know I can’t tell you that”, Tsukki replied, slipping his key into their door and locking it. The two made their way to the street, where Tsukishima grabbed Hinata’s hand and took the lead. “Come on”, he said, “let’s get going”.

Twenty minutes later Hinata found himself standing alone outside the train station. The blonde had absolutely _insisted_ on buying their tickets alone so that the birthday boy couldn’t see where they were headed. After what had been at least five minutes, Hinata found himself growing impatient, and was just about ready to go look for Tsukki when a set of familiar faces caught his eye. “Yamaguchi?! Kageyama?!”, he yelled up the street. Both boys grinned and waved when they saw him. “What are you doing here?”, he asked excitedly. The two boys exchanged glances before Yamaguchi smiled, “Oh! Um- Tsukki asked us to meet him here.” Hinata glanced suspiciously back towards the building the blonde had disappeared into. “Happy Birthday, Shōyō”, Kageyama said gently. The redhead grinned once more as Yamaguchi wished him the same. “Thanks guys!”, Hinata laughed, “I didn’t think anyone would remember!”. “How could we forget? Tsukishima invited us to--”, started the dark-haired boy, only to get a subtle elbow in the side from the pinch server. “---ah, uh, invited us to… spend the day with you guys! And we put two and two together! So, let’s have a great time!”, Yamaguchi stammered, attempting to cover the secret Kageyama had almost blown.

“Oh, hey guys, nice timing”, came Tsukki’s voice. Hinata spun around and saw his boyfriend approaching quickly with a small stack of white slips in his hand. “Let’s get going.”

Together the four descended the stairs of the station, boarding a train on track 2. Each time an announcement came over the PA system, Tsukki would exaggeratedly cover Hinata’s ears so as to prevent him from learning their ultimate destination. “Keiiii”, whined Hinata after the third time, “Where are we _goingggg?”._ Yamaguchi grinned as he looked over to his best friend and laughed, “It can’t hurt to tell him where the train is stopping, Tsukki. It’s not like he’ll be able to guess what we’re doing when we get there!” The blonde eyed Hinata suspiciously. “You never know with this one… And I feel like something like _that_ would be the first thing to come to mind if he knew about it…”. Hinata looked searchingly between the faces of his companions. “Oh, come _onnnn_ ”, he whined, “Please! You can tell me what town we’re going to! I promise I won’t even think of _anything!”._ Kageyama snorted and said, “Well, that’s pretty much a guarantee, right?”. Hinata scowled across their seating area before folding his arms indignantly. “You know, it’s my birthday! That means you’re supposed to be nice to me!”, he pouted. The other boys exchanged glances before Kei grinned, “Honey, I think that _was_ the King being ‘nice’.”

The group chitchatted amongst themselves as the train went. Hinata filled the others in on what their apartment was like, enthusiastically inviting them to come visit, while Tsukki gave a basic rundown of his new job. As they chatted, Yamaguchi’s eyes suddenly went big. He waited until Kageyama had finished talking about what he’d done with his summer break so far before leaning forward. “Um… Hinata… is that-- is that _what I think it is?”_ , he asked nervously, gesturing towards the redhead’s left hand. Tsukki’s cheeks flushed instantly while a massive smile spread across Hinata’s face. After a short, shy pause, the redhead nodded enthusiastically. “I can’t believe we forgot to tell you… Tsukki asked me to marry him!”, Hinata exclaimed, extending his hand to show off the ring that he’d received nearly a week prior. The redhead wrapped his arm around Tsukki’s and grinned, “We’re engaged!”. The two seated across from them displayed a mixture of emotions, though the two most prevalent appeared to be 'surprise' and 'awe'. “Wow… I can’t believe you actually did it, Tsukki!”, Yamaguchi praised, reaching over and clapping the blonde’s shoulder, “I guess that means you found the right time, huh?”. Tsukki blinked slowly before hanging his head and sighing, “So I _did_ tell you, then?”. Yamaguchi laughed and nodded. “Yeah, you told me and Akiteru-nii-san when we were in the hospital.” The blonde sighed again. “I had the feeling that I’d told someone but… I hoped that maybe it was just a dream…” “No”, Yamaguchi laughed, “it really happened! Nii-san had to get out your ID from your wallet, and the ring just kind of… fell out.” Tsukki glanced to Hinata, who was looking up at him with wide eyes. “So you really _did_ have this for all that time?”, he gasped, clutching the ring on his finger. Tsukki blushed once more and nodded.

After some more congratulations, Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. “I, um… I have some news, too”, he stammered out, his face reddening more and more with each word he spoke. After a brief pause, he grinned broadly, and announced, “I finally asked Yachi out”. “No way!”, exclaimed Hinata, jumping up from his seat, though he found himself sitting back down quickly, as there was nowhere for him to vent his energetic enthusiasm. “So…? Did she say yes?”, asked the blonde as he quickly glanced out the window. From his estimation, they were over halfway to their destination. He turned back to see the freckled boy scowling at him. _“Yes_ , she did, thank you, Tsukki. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be telling you guys if she didn’t”, Yamaguchi laughed anxiously. “We have our first date this Saturday, and I’m pretty nervous about it.” “Congrats, man”, Kageyama said softly, awkwardly patting Yamaguchi’s shoulder, “Let us know how it goes.” “And if you need any date planning advice, just ask Kei! He’s the best at planning dates!” Tsukki rolled his eyes. “No, you’re just extremely simple and easy to please. ...although… I don’t think Yachi is too different. She just has a brain.” “HEY! Remember what I said?! About it being my birthday so you should be nice to me?!” “You see? Simple.” “KEI.”

All in all, the scenic train ride took just over two hours, during which Hinata _swore_ he recognized several landmarks. Tsukki shrugged it off, citing that the two had taken many a vacation together, so while it was entirely possible that Hinata _did_ recognize that house or that cow, it was just as likely that it was another similar house or one of millions of cows that looked the same. When the group finally exited the train, though, the redhead’s eyes lit up. “I knew it!”, he exclaimed jumping up and down, “I _knew_ we were coming to Tokyo! I told you I remembered that one billboard for sure!”. Tsukki laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, well… I couldn’t exactly keep it a surprise forever…”.

Tsukki led the way through the city, weaving through blocks while dodging Hinata’s constant questioning as to where they were headed. Finally, after nearly half an hour of walking, Tsukki stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face Hinata. With a dead serious face, he asked, “Are you ready for your birthday present?”. Hinata looked around nervously, completely not recognizing where they were. The street they were on didn’t have any shops or anything, so it wasn’t like Tsukki was about to take him somewhere and have him pick his own present or anything like that. The only thing that passed the redhead’s mind was a memory of the last time he was in a similar situation. That memory was of the night that Tsukki took Hinata to their apartment. He’d stopped suddenly, just as he was now, and began speaking cryptically. Was it possible that…? No. Hinata shook himself from his strange train of thoughts before looking up at the blonde with glowing eyes. “That’s what this all is?”, he grinned. Tsukki rolled his eyes. “Yes, sweetheart. We didn’t just _happen_ to take a trip to Tokyo _by coincidence_ on your _birthday_ with _Yamaguchi and the King.”_ “I dunno, I just--”, Hinata quickly lowered his eyes to the pavement before looking up at the blonde, “--my family never really made a big deal of birthdays, so… I dunno, I wasn’t really expecting anything.” Tsukki smiled and gently placed his hand atop Hinata’s head. “Well, start expecting things, cuz like I told you… we’ve got a busy day planned!”. With that, Tsukishima and company rounded the corner they were standing near.

Hinata immediately gasped. Standing a few yards away were several familiar faces, including Kenma, Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, Lev, and Yaku. He quickly looked up at Tsukki, who grinned knowingly at him, before the redhead dashed towards his friends and rivals. “Shōyō!”, exclaimed the half-blonde, tucking his game system into his pocket before quickly embracing the young redhead. “Happy Birthday!”, Kenma smiled. A chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’s echoed through the small crowd, and Hinata scrambled to greet and thank everyone. Kuroo and Bokuto rushed over to Tsukki after talking briefly with Hinata, while Yamaguchi made small talk with Akaashi, Yaku, and Lev and Kageyama tried his best to have a pleasant and calm (and _not_ overwhelming) conversation with Kenma, with whom he was still endlessly fascinated.

After a few minutes of catching up, Kuroo turned to Hinata. “Oi, Chibi-chan, you excited for the game?”, he grinned, folding his arms contentedly. Hinata raised an eyebrow. “What game?”, he asked, glancing over to Tsukki who was in the middle of facepalming. “Your birthday present…”, sighed the blonde, “...is that I’m taking all of us to see a professional volleyball game. It’s an exhibition match between the Kansai Kings, Tottori One-Touch, the Saitama Spikers, and the Tokyo Titans.”

Hinata seemed to shut down. A massive smile crossed over his face and he even seemed to be vibrating a little bit, but aside from that he didn’t seem to even be _breathing_ as he processed what his boyfriend had just told him.

“Um… Shōyō?”, asked a concerned Kenma, gently poking the redhead’s cheek. This small act seemed to revive the redhead.  “Y- Y- You-- we-- I-- KEI!!!”, stammered Hinata, before lunging forward at his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around the tall blonde, “I can’t believe you did all this for me!” Tsukki laughed and hugged Hinata back, though he was a little bit embarrassed to be so affectionate in front of so many people he knew.

“Come on”, he enthused as he rubbed his small boyfriend’s back, “let’s go get some snacks and find our seats.”

 

There were a total of six matches, and the group sat through each and every one of them. The only person who seemed to be more excited than Hinata was (predictably) Kageyama; the duo did not take their eyes off of the court for a second. In fact, Tsukki wasn’t even sure that either of them were blinking. They jumped up and screamed when an impressive point was scored, and sank into their chairs and groaned when a particularly devastating play wrecked whatever side they were cheering for.

Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo spent most of the time chatting between themselves, often trying to drag Tsukki into the conversation, while Kenma sat with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him playing video games. And while Tsukki truly did want to watch the games, he found that he was unable to tear his eyes from Hinata. His heart was so full, watching the boy that he loved watch something that _he_ loved. The more he observed Hinata, the more certain he felt deep in soul that the redhead needed to pursue a career in volleyball.

His heart ached a little bit as he contemplated a comment that the young redhead had made a little while after they started dating. Hinata had told Tsukki that his parents expected him to settle down after high school, get a good-paying government job, marry some girl, and have two children, in the most boring but stereotypically perfect life imaginable. Tsukki tried to picture Hinata pushing papers behind a desk but found that he was utterly incapable of doing so, especially as he watched Hinata react to the plays before him with the fullest range of emotions he possessed. Volleyball was his passion-- this, Kei was more certain of than ever-- and he was not going to let Hinata walk down a path that would lead to a lifetime of regrets. He wasn’t sure what was involved in getting admitted to colleges based on athletic merit, but he was determined to start the process for his beloved as soon as possible.

When the game was over, the group gathered outside the stadium once more, talking amongst themselves in pairs and trios, reluctant to end the party prematurely. As Hinata and Tsukki chatted with Bokuto and Akaashi, Kenma gently tugged on Kuroo’s sleeve, drawing the dark-haired man’s attention to him. Tsukki watched as Kuroo leaned down and the half-blonde whispered something in his ear. The older man’s eyes widened, then darted over to Hinata and Tsukki, and the blonde knew that his secret had been found out.

“Hey, everyone!”, Kuroo said loudly, interrupting all of the conversations and drawing the attention of all in his company, “Let’s go out to dinner-- me and Bo’s treat!”. Fukurodani’s ace looked over to his friend and blinked twice. Before he could object, Kuroo flashed a brilliant smile and began leading the way to “this awesome barbeque place down the street”.

Every step filled Tsukki with dread. He did not enjoy being the center of attention; his proposal to Hinata was intimate and heartfelt for a _reason._ There was, admittedly, a part of him that knew that the boy he loved would take what was about to come well. He easily could’ve excused the two of them and saved himself the embarrassment. But he didn’t. He continued on down the street, not saying a word, even when Yamaguchi asked if he was okay.

The group sat down at a large table with three grills embedded within. They ordered their drinks without incident. They ordered their food, which was then set out to cook, without incident (unless Bokuto consistently stealing meat from others counted as an incident, although it would be an incident that barely pertained to Kei). The blonde began to relax, thinking _maybe_ Kuroo and Kenma _hadn’t_ noticed, and maybe they actually just thought it’d be nice to keep the party going. He did not notice when the dark-haired man stood, grabbing his glass of soda and raising it above the table, until it was too late.

“Friends, family, lovers…”, started Kuroo, glancing to Kenma who hung his head in shame and embarrassment, “...I would like to make a toast. Of course we should toast to young Shōyō, his birthday, and his health. That is all a given, since it’s his birthday and everything. But I’d also like to toast… to his engagement to our very own Tsukishima Kei!” Everyone-- Akaashi, Bokuto, Lev, and Yaku-- gasped and turned to look at the couple, while Kuroo stood grinning in satisfaction. (Kenma mouthed the word ‘sorry’ to Tsukki, whose face burnt crimson with so much attention focused on him)

After the initial confusion settled, a veritable litany of congratulations coursed not only through their table, but through their area of the restaurant as onlookers joined in congratulating the happy couple. Hinata graciously accepted the sentiments, while the blonde simply looked on at his adorable partner.

Once the toast was completed and excitement had died down a bit, Bokuto leaned across the table, grinning broadly at Hinata while notably avoiding eye contact with Tsukki. “So, Hinata”, he smiled, “How did Tsukki propose? Was it like when he asked you out, or did he do something different?” Hinata looked perplexed by the strange addendum to the question, but Tsukki knew _exactly_ why Bokuto asked what he’d asked.

The year prior, on Tsukki and Hinata’s first vacation together mere weeks after they’d begun dating, the couple wound up running into Bokuto, Kuroo, Akaashi, and Kenma at a festival in Tokyo. Bokuto and Kuroo had pressed Kei for any sort of information about his budding courtship with Hinata, and both openly expressed their disbelief when the blonde told them that he’d been the one to ask Hinata out (instead of Hinata having asked him out). Tsukki would not, however, give his two senpais any sort of information about how, exactly, he’d asked Shōyō out; in his estimation, it was bad enough that all of Karasuno’s volleyball team had been there to witness it. He certainly wasn’t about to openly share that information with those who didn’t know. Tsukki never would’ve guessed that Bokuto would’ve remembered such a thing after so much time had passed.

“Um, well”, Hinata said, blushing deeply as he gazed into his lap, before finally looking up at Tsukki. The blonde had resolved to not interfere with his beloved’s moment, no matter how badly he wished that they were having any other conversation at all. The redhead smiled, then looked back to his company. “It was really sweet, and very private. There honestly isn’t much to say about it. He proposed once we moved into our apartment, and made me the happiest man alive.”

Tsukki breathed a sigh of relief as Bokuto and Kuroo swapped a frustrated look amongst themselves. It seemed that Hinata understood him and his intentions much better than he’d given the redhead credit for. There was really no way for either of the curious men to pry further without _looking_ like they were being nosey, and soon the conversation continued in another direction.

All except Tsukki were sad when the time came for the group of friends to part ways. Everyone thanked the blonde for inviting them to celebrate the boy they all loved so dearly (including Kenma, which surprised Kei, as he was pretty sure the smaller boy was the only person present that was more antisocial than he). Everyone promised to get together again soon, and expressed how truly frustrating it was that they all couldn’t see each other more often.

It was nearly 8 o’clock when the train pulled back into Sendai. Both Hinata and Kageyama had fallen asleep on the train, a fact that Tsukki and Yamaguchi snickered about while they shared a pair of headphones like old times.

“You’re so lazy!”, exclaimed Kageyama as the group walked down the street towards Hinata and Tsukishima’s apartment, “How are you even _tired?!_ It’s not even late!”

“You fell asleep on the train, too, Bakayama!”, Hinata yelled indignantly, as he sat slung over Tsukki’s back while the younger man carried him home.

“Yeah, and now I’m full of energy! You should be too, dumbass, that’s how sleep works!”

“You’re just jealous that I have someone willing to carry me and you _don’t,_ Yamayama!”, Hinata yelled, punctuating his statement by sticking his tongue out.

“Oh my God, enough you two”, groaned Tsukki. He’d done his best to foster some sort of patience for the endless bickering between Hinata and Kageyama, but there were days where he still could not shake the feeling that he was dating (and now engaged to) a petulant child. “Shōyō, get _off”,_ the blonde said, lessening his grip on the redhead’s legs. “Noooo”, Shōyō whined in response. Tsukki sighed exasperatedly. “But, we’re almost home-- and-- you’re-- _Shōyō-- you’re choking me”._

Tsukki gave his keys to Yamaguchi, who unlocked the couple’s front door while Tsukishima wrestled to try to free himself from Hinata’s grip. Together the group traveled up the stairs, while Hinata expressed his excitement that two of his best friends were about to see their apartment.

Tsukki unlocked the front door, holding it ajar for the young redhead to step into. As soon as Shōyō flicked on the light, a small group of people jumped up and yelled, “Surprise!”. Tsukki’s mom came forward carrying another homemade birthday cake, while Akiteru, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Saeko, and Yachi looked on. Hinata was in tears once more as the whole group sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him for the first time on his actual birthday. When he blew out his candles, he couldn’t help but think, _‘There is nothing more I could possibly wish for. I never dreamed I’d be this happy.’_

It was almost as if Tsukki knew the contents of Hinata’s heart when the redhead made his wish; his own heart grew warm, and a deep sense of satisfaction overtook him as he watched the young redhead greet yet another crowd of people who were gathered to celebrate his birthday.

Once again, Tsukki’s mother had been the mastermind behind Hinata’s _second_ surprise party. Kei wasn’t entirely sold on the idea-- he would’ve much rathered spend the evening quietly with his boyfriend, preferably without any clothes on-- but seeing Hinata’s glowing smile made him appreciate his mother’s insistence once more.

Tsukki watched as Hinata practically buzzed with excitement while talking to Tanaka and Noya. He also couldn’t help but smile when he noticed Yamaguchi and Yachi interacting awkwardly with one another. One thing that was bothering him, though, was Tanaka’s older sister’s sudden appearance at both of Hinata’s birthday parties. Did she drive Tanaka or something? She seemed to spend a lot of time talking with Akiteru, but that made sense, since they were in the same graduating class, right? ... _right?_

The party went til nearly 10 o’clock, when Tsukishima’s mother called out to the group, “Alright, I think it’s probably time that we left these boys on their own. They’ve had  a long day and, if I recall correctly, Kei, you work in the morning, right?”. Her son nodded, and was endlessly grateful that his mother was as helpful and perceptive as she was. The group slowly filtered out, and while Tsukki was happy to finally have his apartment to himself once more, he was a little bit unnerved to see that Saeko did not leave the party with her brother…

...it was something he very much did not want to think about, as he consciously tucked that train of thought away deep in the recesses of his mind. His mother had left their apartment basically spotless before leaving; all of the snacks and drinks she’d brought were put away, and the cake was carefully wrapped up. As far as Tsukki could see, there was only one thing left to do.

Hinata was laying in his lap, completely exhausted from the busy day they’d had. “Hey”, Tsukki whispered, rustling Hinata’s hair as he spoke. “Mm?”, came the sleepy response from his lap. “...are you ready for your present?”.

At this, Hinata sat upright, frowning as he studied Kei’s golden eyes. “You already gave me my present”, the redhead said, “You took me-- and all of our friends-- to a professional volleyball game.” Tsukki smiled softly and shook his head. “That was how we celebrated. The truth is, I do have a little something for you.” A mischievous smile spread across his face as he stood. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands. And no peeking!” Hinata heard Tsukki’s footsteps trail off towards the bedroom, though he stopped about halfway through his quick walk. “Oh”, the blonde added, “and, it’s not like, something super expensive like my mom or my brother got you. So don’t get too excited.” The redhead heard the bedroom door open, and then footsteps returned to where he sat with his eyelids clenched shut and his hands cupped.

He could hardly believe it when he opened his eyes. There, seated in the palm of his hand, was a tiny black kitten. _“Ohhhh myyyyy goddddd”,_ Hinata cried, tears rushing to his eyes as he looked upon the teensy, tiny, vulnerable pile of fluff he was holding. “Happy Birthday”, Kei smiled, sitting next to his awestruck boyfriend. Hinata just sat there and studied the animal for several minutes before he dared move. He gently shifted the cat’s weight, freeing up one hand so he could carefully pet it. The tiny kitten shuddered when Hinata ran his finger along its spine, stretching and yawning in response.

“...do you like him?”, the blonde finally asked, eager for any sort of feedback from the boy he loved. When Hinata turned to look at him, the blonde saw the tears that had instantaneously formed, and was reasonably certain that Hinata wasn’t even able to _see_ him through them. Finally the redhead blinked and two massive drops crashed into his lap. “I- I absolutely _love_ him, Kei”, he cried. The levee had broken, and tears were flowing out of his eyes as if they were streams on a rainy day. The blonde smiled softly and wrapped his arm around the younger man before reaching up and stroking the kitten himself.

“Kei”, the redhead sniffled, after a few more minutes spent crying and marvelling at the small critter in his palm, “...this has literally been the best birthday of my life. I-- I didn’t… I didn’t even want to _think_ about today, to be honest. This was the first birthday I’ve ever celebrated without my parents. It really, really hurts when I think that I might not celebrate another birthday with them again.” “Shō--”, Tsukki began, only to be met with a headshake from Hinata. “...but… you made this the most amazing birthday ever. Nothing will ever top this. And… I guess… I guess that just goes to show that I definitely made the right decision… Not-- not because you spent so much money on me! Honestly, I would’ve been happy if we just hung out and watched tv all day-- but because you did so much to show me how much I mean to you, and how much I mean to other people, too. ...you… you’re amazing. I love you _so_ much.” With his last statement, Hinata looked up at the blonde, and though his eyes were once again filled with tears, the love in them was absolutely unmistakable.

Tsukki leaned in and kissed the redhead. “I love you too”, he whispered, pressing his lips against Hinata’s before pulling away yet again, “...more than you’ll ever know.” “Oh, I have my doubts about that”, quipped the smaller man before leaning back into another kiss.

“So”, Tsukki started after he finally extracted himself from the redhead’s lips, “...what are you gonna name him?”

Hinata beamed as he said, “Well… I was thinking… how do you feel about ‘Little Giant’?”.

The blonde laughed and rustled his cute boyfriend’s hair. “I knew that would be his name the second I saw him. You’re so predictable. It’s adorable.”

“HEY”, frowned the redhead, standing up indignantly, “Remember what I said about being _nice_ to me today?!”

 


	11. Enter: Saito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Kei's regular customers comes to visit the bookshop, and learns quite a bit about his favorite blonde bookseller.

 It had been nearly three weeks since Tsukishima Kei began working part time at the downtown bookshop. He seemed to have adapted well, and quickly, too. He was bright, well-spoken, and, above all else, painfully handsome (for those who were into that stoic-megane look).

Saito Takeshi had been a regular of the quaint little store since he moved into the area nearly two years prior. The owners were kind and gracious, and were always willing to go out of their way to try to please their customers. They seemed to have passed these values on to their employees, as even people as obviously antisocial as Tsukishima Kei did everything in their power to keep their customers happy.

Since Tsukishima’s hire, Saito found himself visiting the shop more and more frequently. He couldn’t help himself; he was entranced by the young man and thoroughly enjoyed his limited interactions with him. And each time he visited the little store, he extended his conversations with the blonde, so to the point where the handsome young man was even beginning to talk about himself. He always seemed to keep Takeshi at an arms-length, but that was okay for now; the auburn-haired man was happy with how quickly their conversations were progressing, and was used to breaking down barriers when it came to the people he liked.

“So I’m looking for books by… _him… him…_ oh, and most definitely _her._ So if you can put the word out, I’d be most grateful. And, as always, the cost is no concern.” Takeshi drummed his fingers on the countertop for a moment as Mr. Hayashi circled off names and titles in his catalogue. “Mm, say, Hayashi-sama? Do you think you could spare Tsukishima-kun for a few minutes?”. Takeshi glanced to his side, where two tall stacks of books sat on the counter, “I’m not entirely sure that I can carry all of these by myself, and I’d really rather not have to spend my day coming back and forth…” The old man looked up and smiled graciously. “Of course, of course, Saito-san, you don’t even have to ask! Tsukishima-kun, could you please grab a few boxes and the dolly and come over here?” Moments later the young blonde appeared with all the items requested of him in tow. “Yes, Hayashi-san?”, he asked, politely nodding to the auburn-haired man before him.  “Would you please help Saito-san bring his newest purchases home? There’s quite a few of them.” Tsukishima nodded, “Of course”, and began packing the books strewn across the countertop inside the first box. “Oh, no, Tsukishima-kun, here, let me help…”, started the grey-eyed man, leaning forward and handing the books to Tsukki who then stacked them neatly in each box. In the end, they had two and a half boxes filled with books. “Okay, then, it looks like we’re good to go!”, started Takeshi, “Thank you so much for everything, Hayashi-sama. And, don’t worry, I’ll send Tsukishima-kun right back.” “No, no, take your time!”, the old man waved as the two younger men approached the door, “There isn’t anything that needs to be done urgently here, so please do what you can to help Saito-san, Tsukishima-kun!”

“It’s just a couple blocks away”, Takeshi smiled as the two began walking up the street, “I’m very lucky to live so close to my favorite bookshop. If I lived further, I might not be able to see you wonderful people every day like this.” Tsukki nodded silently. He wasn’t much for small-talk, but a little voice in the back of his head kept calling for him to say _something_ —otherwise, this walk might be unpleasant for a regular customer, which was ultimately the exact _opposite_ of how Tsukki was supposed to behave at work.

“So, um”, started the blonde, “I don’t mean to pry, but… why do you _need_ so many books in the first place?”. The older man laughed, then turned grinning to Tsukishima. “Ah, at this point”, he chuckled, “I should just have an explanation plastered to my forehead, with how often I get asked that question. Well, Tsukishima-kun, there are several reasons. First and foremost, I am a collector. Many of the books that Hayashi-sama procures for me are rare editions of classics or other collectibles. At this point, my library is practically _priceless._ And as Hayashi-sama told you when we first met, I am also an author, so while I do arrogantly collect my own books, I also like to see what other titles in the same genre are doing. But, the last and more important reason, is that I am a pretty well-known literary critic. Not—“, he said, watching the gears turn in Tsukki’s mind, “—under my real name, of course. Most established authors and critics have pen names. It’s just much _safer_ this way.” “Safer?”, repeated the blonde. Saito nodded. “Yes, yes, safer. I mean, imagine what would happen if the world found out that esteemed literary critic, Kinjiro Akifumi, was merely a twenty-two-year-old living in a flat in Sendai. I don’t think that it would be terribly well-received by my peers. My reviews are impeccable and my work is flawless, and as of now I don’t have too many people who openly disagree with me. But that would all change in an instant the _moment_ they were given any reason whatsoever to discredit me—something as insignificant as my age would be more than enough to ruin my career.” Tsukishima nodded thoughtfully, though Takeshi turned to him and smiled softly. “Of course… _most_ people only learn the first reason. If I told everybody what I just told you, my secret would be exposed in a heartbeat.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “Then… why did you tell me? I’m just some high school kid who happens to work at the shop you like.” A glimmer twinkled in Saito’s eyes before he turned back and continued walking. “You seem like a trustworthy guy, Tsukishima. You have this aura that just screams _‘open up to me!’_ ”. “Really”, responded the blonde flatly, “that is _literally_ the first time I’ve ever heard something like that.” The older man cupped his chin as they continued strolling. “Perhaps—and I mean, this is just a guess, since I don’t really know you at all-- but perhaps it’s because you and I are on similar intellectual wavelengths. I’d wager that you don’t get the opportunity to speak with too many other intellectuals.” Images of Tsukki’s friends and teammates flashed through his mind. Could any of those people be considered ‘on his level’? His first thought was, of course, of Hinata. While the redhead was well-meaning and tried harder than anyone that Kei had ever met, the blonde couldn’t quite bring himself to say that Hinata was an intellectual. Same with Yamaguchi. Sure, Yamaguchi was _smart,_ but there was still quite a bit that his best friend was lacking. He cycled through everyone he could think of: Kageyama? No. Nishinoya? No. Tanaka? Hard no. Yachi was pretty smart… but Tsukki barely ever spoke to her, so she didn’t fit the criteria. Neither did the four new first years—now second years—that Tsukki had not spoken a single word to that didn’t pertain to volleyball. Was there _anyone_ that the blonde regularly interacted with that he could consider “smart”?

“I’ll take that silence as a yes”, the older man chuckled. Before Tsukki could find a way to protest, they’d arrived at Saito’s building. It was one of the taller buildings this side of town, and just from the outside, Tsukki could tell that the apartments within would be spacious and high-end. “Ah, here we are. Let me get the door for you…”. Takeshi held the front door open, waving to the doorman who sat mortified within. “No, don’t worry”, the auburn-haired man smiled sincerely, “I’ve got it. You work too hard as it is—sit, relax!”. Then, turning to the blonde, he said, “This way, Tsukishima-kun. We’re gonna go up those elevators”.

The young blonde had been impressed by the sheer size of the lobby, but once they got up to Takeshi’s apartment, Tsukishima couldn’t help but gape in wonder. Every square inch of wall from floor to ceiling was covered by bookshelves. When Takeshi had said ‘library’, Tsukki merely took it to mean ‘collection of books’. But, upon actually entering this man’s tremendous apartment and seeing what had to be thousands upon thousands of books, he understood that Takeshi had been speaking literally.

The auburn-haired man stood beside him, reveling in the pleasure that was someone experiencing his library for the first time. He’d had many people visit his abode over the years, but there was always something special about seeing his guest’s eyes light up —particularly the eyes of those with a hearty appreciation for the written word. Tsukishima Kei was no exception, and when Takeshi gently encouraged him to “feel free to look around”, Tsukki took full advantage of the offer, roaming from shelf to shelf and commenting on some of the more amazing things he found.

“Um, Saito-san”, he started, only to be interrupted with a smile and wave from his host. “Please”, started the grey-eyed man, “Call me Takeshi. We’re so close in age that it almost feels like you should be calling me senpai. Not that that’s what I want, either. Just ‘Takeshi’ is fine.” A quick frown flashed across Tsukki’s face before he nodded. “Ah, okay… um… Takeshi… -san…”—the blonde cringed when ‘san’ came out. He just couldn’t bring himself to address such an apparently esteemed stranger so informally— “…may I ask… What is your filing system? These books don’t seem to be alphabetical by author, nor do they appear to be alphabetical by title, nor sorted by genre…” Takeshi smiled as he crossed the room to join Tsukishima. “You know”, he said, pulling a random book from the shelf before them, flipping through its well-aged pages as he spoke, “Of the many, many people I have had visit my apartment, you are one of the small handful that noticed my unusual filing system. And I must say, no one else has noticed it as quickly as you did. Well done.” Tsukki felt a light blush dust his cheeks; why did he feel like the compliments thrown at him by this strange customer were genuine?

“My filing system is far from unique, but it is definitely among the more obscure. I have them filed by date. Believe it or not, I have several books from the 18th century, and two from the late 17th. Those, of course, are not filed so casually with the general population of books. All of these books are filed by the year in which they were originally published, and then within that bracket, they are subcategorized alphabetically by author.” Tsukki’s eyes were the size of plates as he marveled at the collection before him. Suddenly he was afraid to even breathe, for fear that he might somehow negatively impact such a tremendous archive.

“These”, began the older man after a moment’s silence between them, turning back to the cart full of books,  “are all from this century, I’m afraid. Nothing too tremendous. Many of them are new and awaiting reviews, which I’ll get started on after lunch. Have you eaten, Tsukishima-kun?”. Tsukki raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “N- no, I haven’t. But I’m only working a short shift today, so I’ll be able to eat when I go home.” “We should go out, then! My treat. It’d only be right for me to thank you for going out of your way like this…”. The blonde smiled and waved politely as he approached the boxes of books atop the dolly. “Thank you for the offer, but there’s really no need. I mean, to be fair, I _am_ being paid to be here, as crude as that sounds.” The older man shook his head and smiled. “No, no, Tsukishima-kun, I _insist._ Besides, I get this overwhelming sense that you and I could have some pretty good conversation between us.” Tsukki smiled as he set the boxes of books on the floor, shaking his head gently as he stood. “Again, I thank you—it’s very kind of you to offer—but I have plans with- um—with a friend this afternoon.” “Oh?”, asked Takeshi, “A girlfriend?” “Ah- um- something like that”, Tsukki said nervously, the blush on his cheeks growing a little more as he realized that he really did not like having to hide his orientation. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed to be with a man; he just knew the possible implications of his telling someone that wasn’t okay with such things, especially someone who he interacted with so frequently at his job.

“Well”, Takeshi smiled, folding his arms and leaning against the arm of the couch, “Next time, okay?”. Tsukki nodded and bowed slightly. “Next time”, he lied. He dreaded the idea of having to come up with more excuses, but he knew that, no matter what, he needed to keep this particular customer happy. In his first week working for the bookshop, Mr. Hayashi had pulled Tsukishima aside and shown him just how much Saito Takeshi had contributed to the store. The number was absolutely mind-blowing, and really helped convince Tsukki that this man was, in fact, the esteemed literary critic he said he was, based solely on the amount of money he was able to spend freely on books.

“You can just set those boxes down wherever, Tsukishima-kun. I’m just gonna jump in and review them before I even _bother_ finding room on those shelves…”. Tsukki nodded and did as he was instructed, and soon he was on his way back to the little bookshop.

Saito tried his best to work diligently; after all, the quicker he worked, the sooner he’d be able to visit Tsukishima again. He wasn’t sure why, but he found himself to be quite taken with the younger man. And while he was certain that Tsukishima’s over all kindness and pleasantry was due to the fact that he was working, Takeshi was still very interested in getting to know him, regardless of how sure he was that the blonde would resist.

 

It was nearly another week before Saito Takeshi was able to return to the bookshop. He was disappointed to find that Tsukishima was not in, and wouldn’t be until the day after the next. The young man picked up two books and informed Hayashi-san that he would be back when Tsukishima was available to help him lug his purchases home once more.

 

Two days later, the auburn-haired man returned to the bookshop. Mornings were usually pretty slow, and before he’d taken an interest in the blonde clerk, he found it to be the most relaxing time to go, when everyone else was at work and he was free to browse the shelves at his leisure. Much to Takeshi's pleasure, Tsukishima was there, working hard to try to restock shelves. Saito stood on the other side of the display, fingering the hard-covered history novels he’d promised himself he’d look into after he finished the work he had waiting for him. Saito didn’t want to be a nuisance—he didn’t want to adversely affect the young man as he tried to work--  but he was also very, very eager to talk to Tsukishima. And right as he resolved to go speak to the younger man… someone else appeared beside the blonde.

“Hey”, came the hushed voice of the orange-haired stranger. “Shōyō?!”, exclaimed the tall young man, who then fumbled with the chunk of books he’d had in his hand, “What are you doing here?”. The redhead moved closer to the blonde. “Sorry—I know you don’t like to be bothered at work, but… can we go to lunch when you’re done? I have something that I want to talk to you about…”. Saito could see the blonde look side to side before nodding. “Sure. Just—go wait at the café across the street. I don’t even have twenty minutes left of my shift.” The smaller boy nodded and quickly pecked the blonde on the cheek before hurrying out of the shop.

Saito mindlessly grabbed whatever three books he could reach before hurrying over to the register. “’this all?”, asked the old owner. The younger man smiled and nodded. “This is for pleasure, not for business!”, he grinned, placing the cash on the counter and dashing out with neither his change nor a receipt, straight into the little café that sat directly across the street. He sat as far away from the little redhead as he could manage. He didn’t want to be noticed, but he definitely wanted to hear whatever Tsukishima was going to discuss with the man who very well could be his boyfriend.

As he waited, he flipped through the menu and ordered a simple sandwich. He wasn’t hungry, but he was sure he’d look even more suspicious if he was just sitting there with nothing else on his table. He pulled the books out of the bag, curious to see what, exactly, he’d spent all that money on. The only new book for his collection was the one he’d been interested in before the young redhead had appeared; everything else was something he already owned and reviewed, and neither of them earned terribly fantastic reviews from him. He decided to sit there and begin reading the one book he’d purchased intentionally, hoping to kill time with his favorite hobby. He soon realized, though, that he was incapable of taking his mind off of the young blonde; he was reading sentences over and over again without taking in a single word. Each time the chime above the door rang out, he couldn’t help but look up in the hopes that it was the boy that he was now inadvertently stalking.

His food arrived at the same time that Tsukishima did; the blonde walked in and headed straight over to the table his friend was seated at, returning the redhead’s gentle kiss on the cheek before sitting across from him. _‘Aha!’,_ thought the literary critic, _‘That **must** be his boyfriend!’. _Saito couldn’t help but be pleased. It’s not like he initially thought that Tsukishima was gay the moment he saw him, but rather, his own interests completely failed to take sexuality into account. He felt much better knowing that the blonde was interested in men, though, once the thought finally occurred to him.

“What was so urgent that you had to come to my job? I was gonna come straight home anyway…” _‘Home?’,_ thought Saito, absentmindedly moving a finger along a page of his book, _‘So… they live together?’._ The young redhead nodded. From where Saito sat, he could only see the back of Tsukishima’s head, though he had a full view of the blonde’s ‘friend’.

“I’ve been trying to talk to you for a few weeks, but… either… you brush me off, or I chicken out.” “What?”, exclaimed the blonde, pushing back in his seat, “When have I _ever_ brushed you off?!”. “Well, on my birthday, when we were late for the train—” “Well, I mean, we were _late._ That was not the time for a lengthy discussion…” “And last week when we were walking to your mother’s…” “My phone rang! That wasn’t me brushing you off, that was us being interrupted!” “And then this morning—” “You already _know_ that I was about to be late for work. My goddamned alarm didn’t go off…” “I know, I know”, reassured the redhead, “but… I still need to talk to you.”

Saito took a bite of his sandwich. He would certainly have quite a few things to mull over when the couple’s discussion was finished. “…So I decided that I would _make_ the conversation happen. We’re at this restaurant so we _can_ discuss what I want to talk to you about, and I can’t chicken out since now you know that I have something I have to talk to you about…”. The pair was suddenly interrupted by a waitress who pleasantly took their order and wholly upset the tempo of the conversation.

“The thing is… well… the day before my birthday, while you were at work, I… walked over to my parents’ house.” “What?!”, exclaimed the blonde, clearly in a much louder tone than he’d intended, as immediately after the word escaped his mouth, his voice turned to a sharp whisper, “Why would you do that?!”. The redhead shrugged sadly, then began stirring his straw in his water. “It was about to be my first birthday without them. I was feeling… really sad. I… I miss them, Kei, and having to spend my birthday without them because they hate who I am as a person… … … I mean, you made it amazing, and your family made it amazing, and I didn’t even think of them until the end of the night! But still… it was really, really sad.” Saito watched the blonde stretch his hand across the table, which the redheaded man greedily clutched with both of his own.

“Did you see your dad?”, asked the blonde apprehensively. The redhead shook his head. “No… I… Their house… their house was _sold,_ Kei… and they weren’t there anymore. It was barely two weeks, but I looked in the window and the house was completely empty.” Tsukishima nodded slowly, moving his other hand up to take the redhead’s hands in his own. “I guess they really were serious about moving in with my grandma…”, started the smaller boy. Tsukishima’s hands pulsed briefly, squeezing his boyfriend’s hands tightly. “That also means that they were completely serious about shipping you off to her, and keeping us apart.” Hinata nodded slowly.

“Shō, I’m so sorry that—” “That’s not what I needed to talk to you about”, the redhead interrupted, shaking his head quickly. He took a deep breath, then continued. “I was really, really upset about it, but you were at work all day that day. So I decided to take Matsuki-sensei up on his offer, and I called him. He was actually at the school, so I went and talked to him for a little bit. And, well… we both agreed that I have too much free time on my hands, between the break from school, the break from volleyball, and you being at work. He… He did me a big favor, and he called his brother and… got me… a… j- job…” “A _what?!”,_ exclaimed the blonde, pushing up from the table once more. The redheaded man looked absolutely mortified, as if he’d known that this was a worst-possible-scenario reaction that wound up coming true.

“K- Kei…”, he said quietly, glancing around the café. Tsukishima took his seat once more but crossed his arms. “We _talked_ about this”, the blonde said, frustration evident in every word he spoke. “I know”, replied the small redhead, “but now you can’t even argue against it. I know you were worried that my dad would find out where I was working if I got a job, but I can only assume that he’s in Nagasaki now. I doubt he’ll be going to a coffee shop here in Sendai any time too soon.” “A coffee shop?!”, exclaimed the blonde, “You don’t even know the first thing about coffee!”. “I don’t have to”, frowned the redhead, “…Matsuki-sensei assured me that his brother would train me in everything I need to know.” “But what about your studies?! We only _just_ got your grades up, and—” “I’m only going to be working during time off. So, spring break, summer vacation, winter break…”. Tsukishima sat back in the booth. “You know I’m not happy about this”, he said, glancing out the window to his right, “We don’t _need_ the money. I mean, if you want me to, I’ll quit working today, and we can—” “No”, interrupted the redhead, “You were completely right. If we’re going to be living on our own and supporting ourselves, we need to have some sort of savings, so that if your dad stops sending you money, or if your mom can’t help us out anymore, we’ll have something to fall back on. But I want to be able to contribute, too. And I want to have a reason to get out of the apartment. This is really, really important to me. I only just found out on Monday but... I'm going to be starting the day after tomorrow.”

The food showed up at their table, and the topic changed to something else, though Saito was unable to tell what it was without proper context. Something about a ‘Little Giant’? Either way, it was the redhead—this man dubbed ‘Shō’ by Tsukishima—who was doing all the talking. The couple finished eating, and soon Saito was sitting alone, still unnoticed, picking at the slice of cake he’d ordered to prolong his time in the café.

After all the eavesdropping and general spying he’d accomplished, this is what Saito learned:

  * Tsukishima Kei was in a relationship with this ‘Shōyō’, and they lived together.
  * This seemed to have come about after some sort of drama with Shōyō’s family, who have now moved across the country without him.
  * Tsukishima seemed to be a very protective boyfriend who did his best to provide for his partner. These were traits that Saito appreciated in general, but in the polite-but-distant Tsukishima Kei, they were absolute  _gold._
  * Now Shoyo has gotten himself a job—which Tsukishima was unhappy about—at a nearby coffee place, and would be starting the day after next.



Saito was a man of routine. As soon as he’d moved to Sendai, he picked out a favorite bookshop, a favorite grocery store, and a favorite coffeeshop. He visited all of these places with the same regularity, making one long stroll throughout town before returning home. However… Saito couldn't help but think that it may just be time to find a new coffeeshop—one with a redheaded barista that he could get to know without raising any eyebrows.

He liked Tsukishima Kei.

He liked him a _lot._

He just needed to figure out how to wedge himself in between the man he liked and his little redheaded friend.

 

 


	12. The Daily Grind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata has his first day of work!

Hinata had to adjust his schedule a little bit with the addition of a job to his daily routine. He normally went for a jog when he woke up, showering once he got home before going about his day. Now he had actually set an alarm in order to squeeze all of those things in before work.

Hinata had to say: 5:30am was not a good look for him.

His run took a little longer than usual on this particular morning, as he was uncharacteristically drowsy, though he still made what would be considered great time by literally anybody. His shower was quick, and soon he found himself seated at the table with ‘LG’—the nickname he and Tsukishima had given their new kitten—as they both scarfed down their breakfast. Hinata happily chatted with his fuzzy companion, who seemed to be getting more accustomed to his new roommates. The redhead took a minute to scribble a note to Tsukki on the whiteboard they had mounted on their refrigerator before patting LG on the head and leaving for his first day of work.

Hinata couldn’t deny that he was nervous; he was practically quaking on the short walk between his apartment and his new job at The Daily Grind. As he walked, he couldn’t help but remember all the things he didn’t know about coffee. In fact, it would be easier to sum up all the things he _did_ know. He knew that coffee was usually served hot. Or with ice in it. But never room temperature. He knew it was made from beans, and many people were chemically dependent on it for their daily caffeine needs. He knew that different kinds of coffee had weird names, like mochachocolattefrappeiatto, and he knew that it was absolutely forbidden to refer to the sizes of the cups as ‘small’, ‘medium’, or ‘large’.  They all had to have exotic names so that the fancy people who drank that stuff could say all those fancy pseudo-italian words to anyone who even _looked_ at their drink. But that was it. That was all that Hinata knew.

Upon turning the corner onto the block The Daily Grind sat in the middle of, Hinata was suddenly struck by the thought of all of the other things he knew nothing about. How many different types of tea would he have to serve? Were there other ways to serve tea aside from serving it in a cup of hot water (or milk)? And if not, why would anyone buy tea in public? What exactly _was_ ‘soymilk’ and why did it seem that the word was always associated with something frothy? And what on _Earth_ was a scone?!

Taking a deep breath, the redhead stepped into the coffeeshop, unsure of what, exactly, he would find. To his surprise, behind the counter stood a man that looked almost _exactly_ like his guidance counselor Mr. Matsuki (with the only major difference being that this man had hair) and a girl who could not have been much older than Hinata was himself.  “Ah!”, exclaimed the man, wiping his hands on a towel before striding out from behind the counter, “Hello, hello! You must be Hinata Shoyo-san! It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you! I am Matsuki Hideki—your counselor is my twin brother.” The man leaned forward and, with a wink, said, “Fraternal twins, I assure you!”, before standing up and chortling to himself. He shook Hinata’s hand, gripping it tightly, and guided the younger man over to the counter.

“This here is my youngest daughter, Kira. For the sake of simplicity, everyone around here just calls her Kira-chan, while I’m referred to by our family name.” Hinata nodded and, bowing slightly to the girl, said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The young woman stared blankly at him for a moment before returning to her duties. The older man patted Hinata on the back and said, “Kira’s a little shy—don’t worry, I’m sure you two will become fast friends!” A whine from behind the counter complained, _“Dad!”_

Hinata had a lot to learn in his first day at work. He spent nearly the entirety of the five and a half hours he was there just watching Kira, who, as her dad predicted, did start to warm up as time went on. “Okay, so now that you’ve got the basics down, we’re gonna try a latte. So first you’re gonna take a shot of espresso—no—no, just a shot—just— _ugh._ Just dump that out and try again. Okay, so—”

“Good morning”, came a smooth voice from the other side of the counter. Kira’s attention was immediately drawn away from Hinata, who was struggling with the espresso machine, and turned to the customer waiting by the register. He was a new customer, but had been in every day for the last three days. He was insanely handsome, and Kira was beginning to look forward to his visits. “Hi!”, she chirped, the cheeriness in her voice shocking Hinata—with whom she had been nothing but abrupt and curt—who, in his distraction, promptly burned himself on the machine he was fumbling with. He let out a quick yelp before biting on his lip, trying to stifle the noise as he clutched the thumb that he’d burned. “…excuse me one moment”, she sighed.

“Here, Hinata-kun, the first aid kit is under that cabinet. Why don’t you put some burn cream and a bandage on and take your break, and I’ll come bring you something to drink.” The young redhead nodded and began following his teacher’s instructions without a word.

“Sorry”, Kira laughed as she turned back to the attractive man, “What can I get you?”. The auburn-haired man peered around the counter to see Hinata fumbling with a tube of what he could only assume was ointment. “New hire?”, the stranger asked. Kira laughed and nodded. “Yeah, he’s a friend of my uncle’s. The sweetest kid ever, but… he has a lot to learn when it comes to coffee.” “Mm, I’m sure”, responded the customer, “Well, anyway. Let me get a café mocha and a blueberry muffin today.” The young woman nodded and happily made his drink, stirring the foam on the top of the beverage into a less-than-subtle heart. “Cute”, the man nodded, handing his cash to the barista. Kira blushed and giggled, but found that she was suddenly unable to speak. She gave him back his change and watched wordlessly as he walked over to where Hinata was seated.

“May I join you?”, the stranger asked smoothly. Hinata, who had been holding a pouch of ice to his new injury, looked up and nodded, though as the stranger sat down, he quickly tried to blink the tears out of his eyes; he didn’t need a _customer_ to know that he was _crying_ on his first day there.

“Rough first day, huh?”, asked the grey-eyed man as he held his cup to his lips. He took a small sip, then set it back down. “We’ve all been there.” Hinata looked up at him once more, eyes wide as he asked, “Really?”. The stranger nodded. “Oh, yes. My first job was at a pizzeria, and I accidentally touched the oven with my bare hand… Oof, the blisters were unbelievable! And the owner—who was normally a hardass—actually took me into the office and helped me with the first aid kit and brought me ice. It was tough.” The older man took another sip of his drink, if only to conceal his smile; his story hadn’t exactly happened the way he described—not to him, at least. Instead it took place within the realms of his imagination, which was then transcribed into one of his more popular novels.

“Don’t stress too much, young man”, the stranger said, setting down his cup once more. Kira came and dropped off a glass of pomegranate-blueberry-acai juice for Hinata, whose face instantly betrayed how bitter he found the beverage he was gifted the moment it touched his lips. He continued to drink it, though, as it was so generously given to him by his new coworker, and he felt that it would be an insult to let it go to waste.

“What’s your name?”, the stranger asked suddenly, halfway through his muffin. “Um—Hinata Shōyō, sir”, the redhead stammered. He was feeling more nervous than he had been this morning; not only had he just screwed up in a major way, but he was also stuck talking to a customer one on one. “Pleased to meet you, Hinata Shōyō”, smiled the older man, bowing his head slightly, “My name is Saito Takeshi.” Hinata seemed to take a moment to process these words before jumping up and bowing deeply. “P- p- pleased to meet you! Thank you for choosing to buy your coffee here!”, the redhead exclaimed. Saito couldn’t help but laugh. This young man was so enthusiastic, so genuine, so eager to please. In the few sentences he’d exchanged with Hinata, he could easily see how Hinata’s personality could complement Tsukishima’s personality perfectly.

Saito waved off the young redhead’s courtesy, carefully lifting his cup once more. “It’s my pleasure”, Saito sighed, “Good coffee is hard to find.” Hinata bowed quickly once more before throwing himself back down into his chair. Unfortunately, his movements were less than graceful, and as he sat, his elbow clipped the glass that held what remained of his deep-purple beverage, sending it crashing to the floor.

“Oh my god”, Hinata cried, “I am so sorry!” From behind the counter, Kira took a moment to facepalm before tossing a towel across the room. Hinata scrambled to clean up the shattered remains of the glass, desperate to try to do anything to negate the gut-wrenching mortification he was feeling. He was close to tears as he picked up shards of glass and chunks of ice, when suddenly another set of hands joined his field of vision. It took him a moment to realize that Saito had gotten onto his hands and knees and was helping Hinata clean up the debris.

“I-- I’m sorry, sir! You don’t have to--!”, the redhead quickly stammered out, though the man before him simply looked up and flashed a grin. “I don’t mind”, Saito reassured, “...everyone can use a little bit of help, especially on their first day doing something new. I’d hate to see you get discouraged over something as small as a broken glass and a burnt thumb.” Hinata opened and closed his mouth several times; he wanted to thank the stranger, but it seemed the words would not come.

“Here”, interrupted another voice, “I got it.” Above the two men appeared Kira, with a broom in hand. Both Hinata and Saito dumped what they had collected in the dustpan before standing and allowing the responsible young woman to clean up. As she began sweeping, she looked up to her company and, with a frown, said, “Hinata-kun, why don’t you take this lovely gentleman’s stuff over to another table-- _carefully._ ” Hinata blushed slightly, but otherwise moved to do as he was told before being interrupted by Saito. “Actually”, smiled the customer, “I have to get going anyway. Busy day ahead, you know.”

Saito grabbed the wrapper from the muffin and quickly tossed it in a nearby garbage can while Hinata took away his mostly-empty cup. “Keep at it, Hinata Shōyō. Doing new things is always a challenge, but the more you do it, the more you’ll get used to it. ...And, for what it’s worth… I am looking forward to seeing you again. Thanks for the chat. It was fun.”

With one more dazzling smile, Saito turned and left the little coffeeshop, leaving both employees stunned where they stood. “......why does he like _you_ so much?”, whined Kira before finally breaking free of the spell cast by the stranger. “I… I don’t know”, Hinata said quietly, feeling his cheeks burn as he stared at the now-vacant doorway.

 _‘If I didn’t have Kei, I could definitely see myself falling for a guy like that’,_ Hinata thought as he took the cup behind the counter to be cleaned. A hollow ache washed over the young redhead as he realized that this new job meant he’d be seeing less and less of Tsukishima-- and that that would be the pattern for the rest of their lives. At _best_ , they’d find jobs that held similar hours. At worst… well, Hinata didn’t want to think about that.

He glanced down to his left hand and frowned at how empty it suddenly looked. He’d elected not to wear the ring Tsukishima gave him to work, for fear that it might fall down a drain or get baked into a cookie, or get lost in one of the thousands of scenarios his hyperactive imagination conceived. He didn’t _like_ not wearing his ring. It felt weird. He’d only had it for a short amount of time, but it already felt like it was a part of his body. He felt like he showed up to work without a lung.

He quickly shifted his glance to his right wrist, where the worn out, faded, red string that he’d purchased in Tokyo so long ago sat. _‘At least I have this’,_ he thought to himself, unconsciously drawing the bracelet up to his lips and kissing it quickly. He did this whenever he felt lonely or far apart from Tsukki, with the secret hope that the blonde would feel the sudden influx of love being transmitted to him.

The last two hours of Hinata’s work day crawled by. He was tired and just wanted to be home in bed with his beloved and his kitten. He learned a lot, though, and only burnt himself one more time before his day was through. The moment he was released from work, the redhead began sprinting back in the direction of home, desperate to see Kei. His disappointment was immeasurable, then, when he entered his apartment to find it completely empty, save the tiny black ball of fluff curled up on the couch.

Suddenly it felt as if Hinata’s body was made of stone, impossibly heavy as the young man dragged himself into his bedroom. He felt like shit, if he was being honest with himself. He had what he could only imagine was the worst first day of a job one could have, and was even so pathetic that a _customer_ felt as if they had to try to reassure him. He wasn’t sure how he was ever going to be able to show his face again at The Daily Grind (and the fact that he had work at 7:30 the next morning only made him feel even more weary).

He could no longer fight it: Hinata allowed the tears that he’d been holding back all day to come forth, and before he knew it he was sobbing absolutely inconsolably. He was crying out of embarrassment, of frustration, and of exhaustion. He’d been through a lot in his short 18 years of life, but for some reason this particular experience was among the more harrowing of his experiences. He wished he could talk to his mom; in the recesses of his mind, he imagined him crying to her, and her laying his head on her lap, stroking his hair as he let it all out. He pictured Natsu drawing him a picture to make him feel better, or reassuring him in a way that only small children can (something along the lines of, _“Cheer up, Nii-san! My big brother can do anything!”_ ). He imagined his dad coming home from work, seeing the small family together, and taking his son into the kitchen to show him some basic tips on their instant coffee machine. And soon Hinata was laughing with his family, his terrible day seeming only to be a distant memory at this point. They had dinner together, and when he went to bed his parents assured him that tomorrow would bring a better day.

 Hinata woke up crying once more.

Now, not only was he tired and frustrated and embarrassed, but his heart ached deeply as well. He wasn’t sure how he was ever going to get over the deep, tortuous pain of losing the people he was closest to in the first seventeen years of his life. He began sobbing once more, allowing the weight of his emotions to carry him away… only this time, after he let out a few sobs, the mattress shifted, and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, pulling him close into the only comfort he had in the world.

 _“You’re home”,_ Hinata sobbed, wriggling around so he could bury his face in Tsukki’s chest. “I’m sorry I was gone”, came the blonde’s remorseful voice, “I got asked if I could work for a few hours last-minute. I wanted to be here when you got home, but Hayashi-san needed my help with a big delivery that came in unscheduled…”. Hinata shook his head as he clutched desperately to the boy he loved.

“...I take it that you had a bad day?”, Tsukki asked quietly, after letting Hinata cry for a few more minutes. “You have no idea”, the redhead sobbed. Tsukki ran his fingers through Hinata’s hair the way he always did when the little redhead was upset, and soon Hinata’s sobs slowed to the point where he was able to talk.

“Today was a complete disaster. I feel like I can’t do anything right”, the redhead frowned. Tsukki found himself frowning as well; it _had_ to have been a terrible day, to be able to cloud over Hinata’s usual sunny disposition. “That’s not true”, the blonde replied, “You’re great at spiking. And you’ve gotten way better at receiving. And you’re literally the best runner I know.” Hinata pulled back and frowned. “That’s all volleyball. That’s _one thing.”_ “Well”, Tsukki said, smiling softly, “You’re the best boyfriend in the world.” “...that doesn’t count. ...especially because I’m not-- _you_ are.”

The two bickered briefly before Hinata was finally able to sit up and tell the blonde of his day. “...and I couldn’t make _any_ of the drinks right. I must’ve wasted so much coffee today. And then I wound up burning myself _twice_ on the espresso machine, and--” “Wait, what?”, Kei interrupted, scowling as his eyes quickly scanned the young man before him. “Ah-- uh-- yeah. I burnt my thumb and, uh, my arm, and…” “You’re quitting”, the blonde said bluntly, crossing his arms in front of him to punctuate his statement. “I… wuh?”, asked Hinata, slightly dazed. He knew that Tsukki wasn’t going to take his injury well, but he didn’t expect the blonde to make such a rash decision on his behalf.

“You’re quitting your job”, repeated Tsukishima, “and you’re never going back.” “Why?”, asked a now-indignant Hinata. Sure, he hated his first day, and sure, he’d thought about never going back, but that didn’t mean that was actually what he _wanted._ The blonde took Hinata’s right hand in his and delicately kissed the bandage that sat upon the redhead’s singed flesh. “You are going to make a career out of your incredible volleyball skills. You can’t _afford_ to get little injuries like this.” “I--”, started Hinata, only to be shut down by Tsukki. “What would you _do_ if you got a third-degree burn on these precious hands and could never spike a ball again?”, the blonde asked, looking deeply into the young man’s eyes before him.

It was a convincing argument. Hinata would be beyond devastated if anything prevented him from playing volleyball in the future. However, as he digested Tsukki’s words and seriously considered resigning, his new customer’s words called out from the back of his mind, echoing, _“I’d hate to see you get discouraged over something as small as a broken glass and a burnt thumb”._

“I can’t”, Hinata said, taking his hand back from Tsukki. “I can’t quit. I’ll be careful from now on, I promise. But… I don’t think I could live knowing that I gave up on something just because I wasn’t good at it. If I did things like that… well, I never would’ve played volleyball… and I never would’ve met you.” “Shō…”, started Tsukki, frowning at the bandage on the redhead’s left arm, “I’m serious… this is an unnecessary risk… We don’t _need_ the money.” “But-- now that I started this”, Hinata said, standing up suddenly and stretching, “...I need to see it through.” Tsukki sat on the bed, profoundly unhappy with his boyfriend’s resolution. “I’m serious, Shō… I need you to promise me that if you get hurt again, you’ll quit. Find another job-- I don’t care-- just… I can’t see you getting hurt like this.” Hinata smiled softly and approached Kei’s side of the bed. “I promise”, he said, wrapping his arms around the blonde’s neck, “...that if I get hurt again, I’ll find another job.” “Good”, smiled Tsukki, leaning up and pecking Hinata.

“Now why don’t we go shower and get changed? Mom wants to take us out to dinner to celebrate your first day.”

As the two made their way to the bathroom, the young redhead thought briefly about telling Tsukki the real reason he’d found him crying-- about the heart-wrenching dream he’d had about his family-- but thought better of it. After all, Tsukki, his brother, and his mom were all doing everything they could and more to try to fill that void for Hinata. There was no need to burden the blonde with something he couldn’t fix.

Hinata’s heart still ached, but as he stepped into the shower, he did his best to focus, instead, on the multitude of things he had to be grateful for-- with Tsukishima Kei being top on the list.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's pretty common, I think, for authors to insert themselves into their writing. I haven't, largely, for any of my Haikyuu fics, but this chapter has a couple pieces of me that I felt like sharing. Firstly, Hinata's total confusion when it comes to all things coffee. I had to do _so much_ research and it's not even like I included that much actual information about coffee. I just have no idea about stuff one would find in a coffeeshop. (So why, you may ask, did I include one in my writing? Excellent question.) 
> 
> The other instance of me is the story Saito told Hinata about the pizzeria. That story is actually my story. (And how convoluted? It's a real story, being told by a fictional character, though it's not a real story for him, instead taking place in his OWN fictional universe... what a twist!) My SO's grandfather owns a pizzeria in a shopping center and black friday is always their busiest day. So the first black friday my SO and I were dating, we went and worked there to help out. And I was arguing with one of the regular workers and went to shut the oven, with my bare hands, on not-the-handle. I burned three fingers and my SO's grandfather, who's like, the type of guy you'd cast as the don of a mafia, took me into the office and helped me with my burn while I sobbed my little heart out.
> 
> SO THAT'S YOUR FUN MISSICLE FACT OF THE DAY!


	13. Missing Hinata's First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reason why Tsukishima wasn't there when Hinata got home after Hinata's first day of work.

Tsukishima Kei was not happy. In fact, his first thoughts of the day upon waking up were, _‘This_ **_sucks_ ** _.’_

He and Hinata had been living together for nearly a month, and though some of that time was at Tsukki’s mother’s house, the majority of their cohabitation took place within the very apartment he was laying in. It had been a largely blissful arrangement; Tsukki and Hinata got along so well and were both so capable of compromise when it came to one another. Kei truly felt he understood what people were referring to when they spoke of ‘the honeymoon phase’ in a relationship.

But… the blonde was beginning to worry that the newest change in their lives was quickly ushering in an end to that phase. Going completely against Kei’s wishes, Hinata had gotten a job. Tsukki _tried_ to be rational when he thought about it, but he still couldn’t help but feel irritated when the argument in his head always came back to _‘we don’t need the money. He doesn’t need to be working.’_  

He wasn’t entirely sure what bothered him so deeply about Hinata’s newfound employment. It was only part-time, and only during times that they had off from school. Part of him had initially been worried that Hinata would be discovered and then accosted by his family, but that fear had been assuaged by Hinata’s discovery that his family had abruptly sold their house and moved away (and, presumably, ‘away’ meant out of Sendai). A small part of him was bothered that this job would mean less volleyball practice for Hinata, but, with the exception of the two training camps, it wasn’t like Hinata would be missing ‘official’ practice anyway.

While he did his best to ignore it, Tsukishima also knew that a big part of his unhappiness was based in the fear that someone else might fall for Hinata and try to take the small redhead away from him. Tsukki was very overprotective, and literally everyone at their school was aware that the two wing spikers were together and that it was _serious._ But Tsukki couldn’t exactly inform the whole city that the redhead was spoken for, and even if he could, there was no saying that anyone would even _care._ The only way that he could prevent people from pursuing Hinata, as far as he could see, was to keep Hinata safe at home where he wouldn’t be needlessly exposed to people who might fall for him.

...Tsukki knew he was being ridiculous and possessive. He just couldn’t help himself.

In the short month that the two men had lived together, Tsukki had grown completely unaccostomed to feeling lonely. He and Hinata were always together, with the exception of when Kei was at work, where he rarely had the time to feel anything, let alone loneliness. But even when he wasn’t physically near Hinata, his every thought was with the redhead; the whole reason he worked in the first place was to try to safeguard their future. But now… Now he was alone, with no handsome boyfriend trying to shake him out of bed, with no one to eat (a very late) breakfast with, with no one to talk to or kiss or hold.

He was finally beginning to convince himself that maybe, just maybe, he should get out of bed before it was officially afternoon when his phone rang out. He cast a despairing glance to the end table where it was resting, sighed, and rolled over to silence the device. He’d secretly hoped that it was Hinata calling, even though it wasn’t the little redhead’s ringtone. Instead, the familiar name of “Hayashi Books” popped up on his caller ID.

“...hello?”, the blonde asked apprehensively into the device after he accepted the call. “Ah! Tsukishima-kun! I’m so sorry for bothering you on your day off, but I was wondering if you might be willing to come in just for a few hours? Saito-sama placed a tremendous order, and I’m afraid I’m not able to take all those books back to his place myself…” Tsukki frowned. He wanted to be home when Hinata got out of work. He wanted to celebrate the redhead’s first official day of employment; even if that employment wasn’t something he particularly agreed with, it was still a big milestone in Hinata’s life. “Um, Hayashi-sama, I’d really like to, but--” “I’m so sorry to be troubling you Tsukishima-kun”, the older man interrupted, as if he sensed that Kei was trying to get out of the request, “and I assure you, I wouldn’t be calling you if I didn’t need you. I can pay you overtime-- it’s just, Saito-sama is here and apparently needs these books _today._ ” Tsukki rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes and sighed. “...yeah, okay, I can be there in like half an hour.” He could practically hear the old man’s smile through the phone as he replied, “Oh, thank you Tsukishima-kun! You’re a lifesaver! I don’t know how this shop managed without you!”

With a groan, the tall blonde dragged himself out of bed. He opted to forgo the shower, figuring he’d probably be better off if he took one _after_ he inevitably worked up a sweat loading and unloading this ‘tremendous order’ of books. He threw on clothes and headed out to the kitchen to grab something quick to quell the hunger.

A soft smile crossed Tsukishima’s face when he saw the whiteboard. In Hinata’s cute, childlike handwriting was a note that read, “Have a great day Kei! ♡ I love you! Pls keep LG company!”. Tsukki closed his eyes and shook his head; even when Hinata was nowhere around, he still managed to be _absolutely adorable._ After some brief rummaging, the blonde settled on a granola bar, which he shoved in his pocket to eat as he walked. He quickly grabbed his keys and phone, cast a quick glance around the apartment in search of LG, and, after failing to locate the tiny black kitten, headed out the front door.

The walk to work seemed shorter than normal, and Tsukki couldn’t shake the creeping sense of irritation that had been building up inside of him. On the one hand, he really didn’t mind helping out when asked. He likely would’ve buckled under the pressure even if Mr. Hayashi hadn’t offered him the pay increase, as he truly did enjoy his job and the work he did there. He even liked Mr. Saito. He was a generally affable, albeit quirky, intellectual who honestly felt more like a contemporary of Tsukishima’s than most of his peers did. The conversations they had, though brief, were always enjoyable, and it was nice to have someone to talk to with the same hunger for books that Tsukki possessed. But… on the other hand… Tsukki _really_ wanted to be there to greet Hinata after his first day of work. He’d even thought about being cute about it, and greeting Hinata in only an apron (or something like that). He thought about possibly baking a cake for the redhead or inviting his mom and Akiteru over to celebrate. All those plans went out the window with this sudden request that he was unable to decline.

Still, he thought that even if he wasn’t entirely sure when he’d be finished working, perhaps it might be best to text his mother _anyway._ She had been marvellously supportive throughout what small but tumultuous portion of their relationship she’d been privy to, and even if she wasn’t able to celebrate with Hinata on this particular day, Tsukki was sure she’d be able to pull off _something._

He finished up his text right as he strolled through the door of his workplace, shoving his phone in his pocket as he heard, “Tsukishima-kun!”, shouted in unison. When he looked up he saw both his boss and their regular customer standing at the counter, which was absolutely covered in books. “I’m so sorry, Tsukishima-kun”, smiled the old man embarrassedly, “...if it were even ten years ago, I could’ve done this myself and saved you the trip. But...” “And _I’m_ sorry that I’m in such a rush to get these books! But Hayashi-san informed me that you were off tomorrow _and_ the next day, and I really can’t afford to wait that long. You know how it is.” “AND”, continued the older man, “look at what a tremendous order this is! It’s all thanks to Saito-sama that I’m able to even offer you time and a half!”. Tsukki smiled nervously as he grabbed his apron from behind the counter. “Oh, no, please, don’t worry about such things. I’m happy to help, at my regular rate.” _‘Shit’,_ the blonde thought to himself as he threw the small garment that was his ‘uniform’ over his head, _‘Why did I say that?’._ “Oh, no, I insist”, laughed the older man, “After all, you’re really helping us out big time here!”.

The blonde worked quickly, pulling the hand truck out from the back and loading up spare boxes until every single book was packed up and ready to go. The order _easily_ exceeded ¥100000, with some books amidst the group being very, very old and well-worn tomes which most definitely raised the price exponentially on their own. “At this rate”, laughed the grey-eyed man as the two left the shop, “you’re gonna know the way to my place all on your own! I can just call and say, ‘Hey, Hayashi-san, can I get this, this, and that?’ and he’ll be like ‘sure thing, I’ll send Tsukishima-kun over right away!’. Oh! And then we’ll usher in a whole new trend of books-by-delivery, where bored people can just call and say, ‘gimme a non-fiction!’ and the cute delivery boy will come drop off the books… Eventually Hayashi-san will hire some new delivery boys, and you’ll be in charge of the new sensation sweeping all of Japan, and will be dispatching books all across Miyagi and Iwate and Yamagata… but every once in a while, you yourself will go out and make a very special delivery… to yours truly.” Saito Takeshi posed momentarily, grinning broadly as he pressed his thumb to his chest. His smile quickly faded as he realized that Tsukishima Kei had not only _not_ responded to him, but had completely walked past him as if in a daze.

“Yo, Tsukishima-kun”, frowned the older man as he strode quickly to catch up, “...you okay?”. Tsukki, whose face would’ve spelled ‘worried’ to a blind stranger, glanced to his customer and smiled awkwardly. “Oh- um- yes, Saito-san. I’m sorry to make you worry, but I’m fine.” Takeshi frowned at the blonde. “...how many times do I have to ask you to call me Takeshi?”, he chastised as the two turned onto his street. “Ah! I’m sorry!”, exclaimed the blonde, bowing slightly as he walked, “...I’m just lost in thought. My apologies. I know that’s far from polite.” The older man smiled softly. “It’s fine, Tsukishima-kun. I was just joking around anyway. But, I have to ask, what’s on your mind, to have you distracted like this? You seem worried.” Saito Takeshi followed Tsukishima in through the door to his apartment building which, this time, was thankfully being held ajar by the doorman. “It’s nothing”, Tsukki smiled softly as he pressed the button to call the elevator. “Tsukishima-kun”, Takeshi said solemnly, “...we’ve gotten to know each other quite a bit over the last month or so. I think you probably know by now that a lackluster response like that isn’t going to cut it.” Takeshi stepped into the elevator and out of the way, allowing the blonde to maneuver the dolly into the small compartment. Tsukishima sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, it’s just, today is my-- ...my _roommate’s_ first day of work ever. I’m just… uh, I’m worried about whether it’s going well for him or not. That’s all.” Saito smiled knowingly as he stepped out of the elevator. “Roommate, huh?”, he asked, doing his best to hold back his grin, “Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine. There’s really no need to worry yourself sick over another adult like that.” The blonde nodded. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just… He’s… he’s very _naive,_ so I tend to worry about him more than I would worry about other people in normal circumstances.” “Naive?”, repeated Saito as he turned the key in his door. “Mmhmm”, came Tsukki’s voice as he pushed the boxes of books into the grand apartment, “Like… he trusts pretty much everyone. We are on the same volleyball team and he makes friends with someone on literally every rival team. It seems like… I dunno, if someone is nice to him, he automatically trusts them with his life.” “And what does that have to do with his first day of work?”, Takeshi asked amusedly as he watched the younger man unload the boxes and position them-- as had become routine-- around his desk. “Nothing, I guess”, the blonde shrugged, “it’s just one of the things about him that tends to get him into more trouble than not. I wanted to be home when he was done with work to make sure he survived his first day and didn’t struggle too much but… I have a hard time saying no to Hayashi-sama.”

The auburn haired man smiled softly as he began rooting through the first box of books. “Why don’t you stop at his new job on your way home, then?”, he suggested, paging through one of the older of his newly acquired novels. “He’s just about to get out”, the blonde frowned, “and I have to take the hand truck back to work before I can go home. Hopefully this is the only thing Hayashi-san needs from me today…”. “I’m sure it will be”, smiled the grey-eyed man, slamming the book closed.

Takeshi crossed the room and stood beside Tsukishima. They’d made several trips from the shop to the older man’s apartment through Tsukki’s short career, and each time the auburn-haired man became more and more certain that Tsukishima was _exactly_ what he wanted. The two stood together while the blonde’s eyes explored shelf after shelf, though Takeshi knew without a fraction of a doubt that the younger man was waiting to be excused.

“Tsukishima-kun”, started the older man, “I know that you’ve clearly got things you’d like to accomplish with your day today, but I do hope that, the next time you’re free, you’ll allow me to take you out for lunch or dinner. After all, you’ve been a _tremendous_ help to me, and while, yes, I understand that you’re being paid to be so helpful, there was nothing saying that you had to be so kind.” Tsukki laughed nervously and bowed slightly. “That’s very generous of you”, laughed Tsukishima politely, “but I really am just doing my j--” “And-- I’m sorry, not to cut you off, but--”, started Takeshi, eager to prevent the admission that the blonde almost uttered, “--I don’t know about you, but since I’ve moved to Sendai, I, personally, am absolutely _starved_ for intellectual conversation. I’d be lying if I said that you weren’t half the reason I visit the shop so often.” The blonde felt his cheeks burn. Sure, he’d gotten his fair share of compliments through his life from his mother, Yamaguchi, and, most of all, Hinata, but this felt… different. This compliment was from someone that was older than him, more experienced in life, and under no obligation to try to make him feel good. Not only that, but this stranger was also a highly respected professional in his field-- a field that, by all rights, should be largely populated with intellectuals. And, even more still, Tsukki _also_ felt that their conversations had been highly stimulating, and often found himself wondering when his regular customer would be coming back.

“Um…”, started the blonde, gripping the dolly just a little bit tighter as his face flushed, “...sure. That’d… that’d be nice. Although, we could just, you know, go eat. You don’t have to treat me.” “Nonsense!”, waved the older man as he dug through his pocket, “You’re a high schooler working a part time job. There’s no _way_ I’d allow you to pay when you would already be indulging me so.” “It would be no indulgence”, smiled the blonde. Takeshi stepped closer to Tsukki and grinned, “Here-- give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you mine, and you can just let me know the next time you have an afternoon or evening to yourself.” The blonde pulled out his phone as well and, within moments, the two men exchanged contact information. Saito watched silently as Tsukishima began inputting his information, frowning as he glanced at the screen. “Tsukishima-kun”, the older man said sternly, “...what are you saving my name as?”. Tsukki glanced up, then laughed. “I’m sorry, sir-- I mean-- I’m sorry, Takeshi. I’m just not used to referring to customers so casually.” “Don’t think of it as casual”, sighed Takeshi, “think of it as _familiar._ We’re friends now, right? I bet you don’t call your best friend by his family name.” Tsukki glanced to the floor as he reflected on this assumption; it was very rare that he called Yamaguchi any variant of ‘Tadashi’. ‘Yamaguchi’ was just more comfortable. Was that a crime? ...although, he _did_ call Hinata ‘Shōyō’ with minimal issues… “Besides”, the older man said, flipping his hair out of his face, “Saito isn’t even my old man’s name. My mom remarried and changed my name to ‘Saito’ when I was still pretty young. And now she’s on marriage number four and I haven’t seen that guy in _ages.”_ Tsukki was surprised by the sudden outpouring of information, but still found himself curious. “Why don’t you change your name back to your dad’s name, then?”, the blonde asked. “I did, actually!”, smiled the older man as he picked another book out of the box closest to him, “Well, okay. That’s not accurate. My _pen name_ is my father’s family name. I don’t want to change my real name to match my pen name, since I value my privacy, so I’m stuck for now. I do hope, though, that one day in the not so distant future, I’ll meet my ‘person’ and they’ll be fine with me changing my name to theirs.” “And what will you do if you don’t?”, blurted the blonde. Saito laughed and, closing his book quickly, clapped Tsukishima on the shoulder. “I’ll have bigger problems than my name if I’m not lucky enough to meet someone!”, he laughed jovially.

“Alright, well, you should get going. As much as I treasure our conversations, don’t _you_ have somewhere else you’d rather be?”. Tsukki smiled gently. “Thank you si-- ah-- _Takeshi.”_ “No problem”, grinned the older man, “Don’t forget to send me a message when you’re free! Sooner, rather than later!”.

It was another half an hour before Tsukishima was finally able to begin walking back to his apartment. _‘God, I hope his day went okay’,_ the blonde thought to himself as he nervously checked his phone. The only message he’d received during the few short hours he’d worked was from his mom, inviting the young couple out to dinner to celebrate Hinata’s (hopeful) success. It was already after 4, so the redhead was most definitely done with work (unless something unexpected came up). _‘Is he mad that I’m not home?’,_ thought Tsukki, _‘or is it something stupid like his phone is dead? ...or was he abducted on his way back to the apartment?’_ Tsukki physically shook his head to shake off what he very well knew was an irrational thought. Hinata was 18-- older than Tsukki-- and used to walk an hour and a half to and from school every day. The blonde was _sure_ that Hinata would be able to walk the few blocks home from the coffeeshop. ...right?

Upon returning home, Tsukki was relieved to see Hinata’s shoes tossed casually in the front hall. He picked them up and carefully aligned them with the front step before removing his own and neatly placing them next to Hinata’s. He also grabbed the mail that had been fed through the slot in the door and quickly flipped through the small stack of envelopes before his heart sank. _‘I know that handwriting’,_ came the voice in the back of his head, _‘...I guess I couldn’t put this off forever.’_

“Babe?”, Tsukki called into the house as he crossed the apartment to the kitchen, “You here? I’m home…”. He slid his thumb under the lip of the envelope and carefully tore the paper. With a sigh, he pulled out the letter and scanned it quickly. _‘Tsukishima-kun… blah blah blah hope you’re finding everything to your liking… … don’t worry about rent … … … blah blah… …_ **_please let me know when you’re free for dinner._ ** ’ He’d been dreading this ever since he and Hinata had moved into their apartment. He _knew_ he had to meet with his aunt. He’d _promised_ her that he would let her know once they were settled in. It was the _one_ thing she’d asked of him. But… that didn’t mean he _wanted to._ He wanted nothing at all to do with his father’s side of the family (or his father, or the woman that he’d left Kei’s mother for, or the hellspawn they’d created) but he knew that he really, truly, and sincerely _needed_ to follow up with his aunt after all she’d done for him.

He let the letter fall to the countertop and placed his keys and phone on top of it before heading into the bedroom to see why Hinata hadn’t responded. Much to his surprise, as soon as he crossed the threshold into their bedroom, the redhead, who was curled up on the bed with his back to the door, burst out into sobs.

Tsukki rushed to his side, clamoring into bed and pulling Hinata into his arms. _“You’re home”,_ came the smaller man’s teary voice as he struggled against Kei’s grip in order to turn around. Hinata buried his face in Tsukishima’s shirt and the blonde kissed the top of his head. “I’m sorry I was gone”, Tsukki frowned, grateful to breathe in the redhead’s familiar scent once more, “I got asked if I could work for a few hours last-minute. I wanted to be here when you got home, but Hayashi-sama needed my help with a big delivery that came in unscheduled......”

 


	14. Shizu and Roku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei attends the luncheon he'd promised he'd go to with his Aunt.

Tsukishima Kei adjusted his tie as he stood uncomfortably in the entrance to a very posh and fancy restaurant in uptown Sendai. He didn’t belong in such an extravagant venue and he knew it; worse than that, he felt as if every glance directed his way was by someone who was also well-aware that his status was beneath theirs. He shifted his weight between his feet, hoping to think of anything but his current situation.

 _“Sir?”,_ called an irritated and expectant voice. The blonde glanced up and noticed that the couple that had previously been in front of him were gone-- presumably having been whisked off to a table of their own. As he stepped forward to close the gap between where he stood and the front podium, the woman looked disdainfully upon him and asked, “Can I _help_ you?”. “Um, yes”, Tsukki said, nervously shoving his hands in his pants pockets, “I’m supposed to be meeting someone here, um--” “ _Name?”,_ snapped the woman as she lightly drummed her fingers on the keyboard before her. “Me? I’m Tsukishima Kei.” “Not _you_ ”, she replied with a dramatic eye roll, “The person you’re meeting here. What’s _their_ name?” “Oh”, Tsukki replied, trying his best not to become irritated with the curt tone the woman had been using, “Tsukishima Shizu.” In an instant, the woman’s eyes grew wide and her affect changed immediately. “O- oh! Welcome, sir! Now that you mention it, I can see the resemblance! Please, come right this way!”

Tsukki reluctantly followed the woman as she weaved through the restaurant. He didn’t want to be there, and he wouldn’t have wanted to be there even if this stranger had been this nice to him from the beginning. He was absolutely _dreading_ his meeting with his aunt and only convinced himself to come because it was the _right_ thing to do. After all, he and Hinata had been living in one of the many apartment buildings she owned, and had been paying _significantly_ less than the other tenants of hers. And it wasn’t like she and Tsukki were close-- in fact, the tall blonde had elected to completely cut out his entire father’s side of the family when his father left his mother. Akiteru was still in contact with some of their cousins and their grandmother, but Kei just couldn’t stomach it. Aunt Shizu had no obligation whatsoever to help her nephew, but she chose to anyway. The very least that Tsukki could do was attend the luncheon she’d requested of him.

The hostess stopped before a pair of double doors and turned back to look at the boy she’d been leading. “Um”, she started nervously, “Tsukishima-sama is in here. I hope you enjoy your meal.” With that, the hostess left, leaving Tsukki to stand nervously before the doors in front of him while he debated whether or not he _really_ wanted to go to this lunch. His stomach lurched, but with a little coaxing, he did what he had to do: he pushed open one of the doors and stepped inside the small private dining room.

Sitting on the far end of the small room was Tsukki’s aunt-- his father’s older sister-- who, as always, was dressed garishly. All but a single strand of her jet black hair was hidden behind a multi-colored headwrap, from which two massive pearl earrings protruded. A large pearl necklace sat atop her plum-colored dress, as did several other strands of varying beads, metals, and colors. Every finger of hers seemed to bear a ring as she waved over to her nephew.

“Kei, darling! So good to see you!”, she smiled, setting the half-empty glass of wine back down on the table, “I didn’t actually think you were going to come!”. The blonde smiled pleasantly and bowed slightly before approaching the table. “I’m very sorry, am I late?”, he asked, frowning slightly. Shizu laughed haughtily and shook her head. “No, no, dear”, she smiled, “I actually just wrapped up with a business meeting. Your timing could not have been better. Now, come, sit! Let’s order some food and drink. Would you like some wine, dear?” “Um…”, started Tsukki, shifting his weight in his seat, “I’m not old enough to drink…” “Nevermind that!”, the older woman laughed, “You can do whatever you’d like, as long as you know the right people!”. She punctuated her statement with a wink, then pressed the button in the middle of the table to summon a waiter. In moments, a well-dressed man appeared in the doorway. “Yes ma’am, how may I help you?”, he asked stoically. Tsukki reached forward and grabbed the menu from the table. ‘Out of place’ was no longer enough to describe how he was feeling; he honestly felt as if he was in another world entirely.

“Can we get a bottle of your finest Shiraz? Oh, and we’ll need another glass as well.” Tsukki buried himself in the menu. He’d never consumed alcohol before; it really was something he had no interest in. Not only was it bad for one’s mind, distorting it so things like reading and studying would be difficult if not impossible, but it was also terrible for one’s body as well (and, as someone with a passion for volleyball [and a certain volleyball player], Tsukki had to be sure to take the utmost care of his body). Still, he felt as if he was doing something wrong-- as if just the intent to consume alcohol as a minor would be enough to have the police called. When the waiter left, the eccentric woman leaned forward. “See anything on the menu that you’d like? Get whatever your heart desires, of course. Naturally, it’s on me.”

Tsukki couldn’t concentrate. It seemed as if all the words were blurring out as he stared at the page in front of him. But even the few words that he _could_ make out meant nothing to him; the only thing he _could_ make out was the absolutely preposterous cost of each plate. _Cornish hen served over braised leeks with balsamic glazed onions and an arugula-truffle salad -_ ¥18000. _Scallop sashimi with a meyer lemon confit served on a bed of microgreens -_ ¥17500. _Organic neoclassical vegan charcuterie with a mango-persimmon chutney -_ ¥15600.

 _‘What are these words? Is this even food?!’_ Tsukki felt beads of sweat forming at his temples. Instead of looking at the names of the foods, the blonde chose to look at the prices instead and pick out the cheapest on the list. He felt guilty enough that his aunt was helping support him. In fact, he’d actually accepted the lunch invitation with the intention of at least paying for his own meal, but one single meal at this restaurant could cost him an entire _week’s_ wages; it just wasn’t practical for him to try to pay his own way.

“Um…”, he started, scanning the long list of strange words and exorbitant numbers, “I think I want to try the ‘island duck with mediterranean remoulade and garlic-shallot quinoa’.” It was only ¥2000 cheaper than everything else on the menu, but Tsukki wanted to do whatever he could to minimize the costs, even if it was negligibly so. Only ¥2000 less. _Only. ‘Hinata and I can both eat out on ¥2000’,_ he thought to himself, a cold shiver running up his spine. “Ohh, that’s an excellent choice”, cooed the older woman as her bedazzled finger reached for the button once more.

A different waiter came and took their orders, while the previous waiter also snuck in and poured a glass of wine for both parties seated at the table. “So, Kei…”, started the older woman as she sipped on her maroon drink, “How is everything? How are you doing in school?”. Again Tsukki shifted uncomfortably. “School is fine. I have a 4.0 and am a starting player on my school’s volleyball team.” “Volleyball, hm?”, his aunt asked, “that’s surprising. The men on our side of the family are all fairly tall, but most of them go into basketball.” Tsukki nodded and swallowed hard; why did he feel like he was at an interview? “I didn’t like how much physical contact there tends to be in basketball. The basketball team in middle school did try to recruit me, but I declined, since a friend of mine had already talked me into joining the volleyball team with him.” The older woman raised an eyebrow from behind her wine glass, which was already nearly empty. “Oh? Is this the friend you’re living with now?”, she hummed, carefully placing her glass on the white tablecloth. Tsukki shook his head. “No, I didn’t meet him until I got to high school.” “I see”, nodded Aunt Shizu.

She lifted her glass once more, and as she did she noticed that Tsukki’s was still full. “Kei, honey, try your wine. Let me know what you think. If it’s not satisfactory, I’ll get you a nice white to try.” Tsukki eyed the stemmed glass before him before reaching out and taking it in hand. He gently churned the contents of the glass, watching the deep red spin inside its container. “Ha! And you led me to believe you’ve never had wine before!”, laughed the older woman. Tsukki looked up with a question in his eye. “I haven’t had wine before”, he admitted. Shizu smiled and leaned forward once more. “You must’ve inherited the Tsukishima wine-aficionado gene, then!”, she laughed, a sparkle glimmering in her eye, “When one tries a wine for the first time, it is common to swirl it around a bit, that you might get an adequate sampling of the bouquet.” Tsukki looked down at his glass once more, feeling a bit foolish and juvenile for spinning the drink because it ‘looked cool’, as opposed to doing so because he possessed any sort of knowledge on the subject.

With one more suspicious glance at the beverage, Tsukki raised the cup to his lips. He could not help the sour look that crept across his face; he’d never tried wine before, but this was a taste he could not ever see himself growing accustomed to. It was a very harsh flavor, and the alcohol caused his nose to scrunch up reflexively. The deep flavor assaulted his tongue, reminding him less of the grapes it supposedly came from and more of an intensely dark chocolate intermingling with dirt.

Across the table, Tsukki’s aunt folded her hands in amusement, propping her chin up on them as she looked over the younger man. “Well?”, she finally hummed once the blonde set his glass down, “What do you think?”. Tsukki tried his best to plaster on a smile as he said, “It was very… _different_ from what I’m used to.” “Bad different? Or good different?”, she asked, once again making her nephew feel as if he was in an interview that he was not even slightly prepared for. “Hm… neither, I guess. It’s just different from what I’m used to. I don’t have anything I could even compare it to.” Aunt Shizu chuckled quietly to herself as she grabbed her own glass. “A very diplomatic answer, Kei. It’s clear to see that you’re a very intelligent young man. We could use someone with your brains at my firm-- after you graduate high school, that is.” Tsukki felt his face flush. He wasn’t sure what to say in this sort of scenario.

“That’s very generous of you”, he smiled, picking up his own glass once more, “although I’m honestly not sure what I want to do after high school.” With a swig of her wine, his aunt laughed once more and said, “Of course, dear! I wasn’t expecting an answer right now! You’re only, what, sixteen?” “Uh- seventeen”, the blonde interjected, earning a dismissive wave from his aunt. “My point is, you’re still young. You should live a little before you settle down. But what I _can_ tell you is that I can see a very successful future for you, should you choose to come work for me. Just keep that in the back of your mind as you explore your options, okay?” Tsukki nodded in agreement, sipping once more on his tart beverage so that he didn’t have to answer verbally. Again the sour look overtook his expression.

“Kei, darling, I want you to take a sip of your wine and hold it in your mouth for a moment before swallowing.”--the blonde did as he was requested, his cheeks flushing as he tried his best not to eject the unpleasant taste from his mouth prematurely-- “This here is shiraz. It’s a red from Australia. What do you taste in it? If you really focus, you’ll be able detect notes of cocoa and fruit, with a little bit of… mm, what’s the word? ...a little bit of ‘meatiness’ behind it. Is any of that coming across to you?”

Half an hour and three glasses of varying wines later, dinner arrived, and the young man was having a hard time shaking the flush that had settled across his face. In addition to buying and renting real estate, Aunt Shizu also owned two vineyards and dabbled in other investments as she saw fit. Educating Kei on different wines, she explained, was helping him take his first big step into the corporate-dominated world. As for dinner, Tsukki hardly remembered what he’d ordered, but found that, as beautifully as it was plated, it most certainly did not look appetizing. Four slices of some kind of pinkish-grey meat sat on top of a cream colored sauce which was flecked with bright green bits. On the other side of the plate was something that looked like a cross breed between fish eggs and rice. Tsukki was intimidated, but when his aunt chimed, “dig in!”, he had no choice but to partake in the meal before him.

It was surprisingly not terrible. Duck-- as his aunt reminded him he’d ordered-- had a weird texture, and the quinoa was also not a feeling he was comfortable with, but otherwise the flavors were fine. Nothing made him nauseous, and he found he was able to clear most of the plate with limited problem.

When he was halfway through his last slice of meat, the door behind him slid open, and his aunt looked up and smiled. “I was wondering when you were going to show up, Roku.” Kei froze. His heart sunk into his stomach as he heard the familiar voice he’d never hoped to hear again in his life.

“What”, the stranger laughed, “You think I _wasn’t_ going to come as soon as I found out that you were meeting with my son?”

_Son._

That word resonated inside of Tsukki’s head, causing sharp pains as he did his best to maintain a straight face. He still hadn’t turned around. He _knew_ that the newcomer was, without a doubt, his father, but until he saw him, he could live in the delusion that this was another Rokuro that his aunt knew, someone who was talking about a different son, someone that definitely wasn’t going to stick around and make Kei’s afternoon even worse.

He was wrong, of course.

A dark-haired man wearing an expensive suit walked over and sat beside Tsukki’s aunt. When the blonde finally forced himself to look up, his stomach roiled; sure enough, it was his estranged father. “Long time no see, Kei! Why, you’re practically all grown up!”, smiled the older man as he reached across the table and poured himself a glass of the chardonnay they’d most recently tried. Not even acknowledging his father’s presence, Tsukki set his fork down and looked up to his aunt. “Is this why you wanted to meet?”, he asked solemnly. His aunt, however, laughed raucously before leaning forward on the table. “No, no, of course not, dear. I wouldn’t put you in a situation like that, especially not on our first outing together. No, I’m afraid that this is your grandmother’s handiwork. In fact…”, the older woman said, turning on her brother, “I’m pretty sure I explicitly told you _not_ to come today.” The older man flashed a dazzling smile and, with a swig of his wine, shrugged, “Do you know how long it’s been since I saw my second born?”. _Second born._ That stung in a way that Tsukki was not prepared for. He used to just be his father’s youngest child, back before his father revealed himself to be the despicable adulterer that he was.

“You would’ve seen me much more often if you hadn’t left mom”, Tsukki glared, taking a sip of his own drink. “Ooh, shots fired!”, the older man laughed jovially. It made Tsukki sick, as if this was just some big game to his father. “How is your mother, by the way?”, smiled the older woman as she tried to regain control over the situation, “I always liked her. Such a kind and generous woman…”. Tsukki sat back and folded his arms. “She’s _fine”,_ he answered curtly. “Is she still a nurse?”, his aunt asked. “Yes”, he replied, “She works her ass off to help save people’s lives, and to support me and Akiteru. Unlike _some_ people.” Tsukki knew he was acting like a petulant child, but he was having a hard time restraining himself. The older man again took a sip of his wine, reaching across the table to pour yet another glass as he laughed once more. This time his laughter was more tense, as if he was doing his best to try to maintain a pleasant demeanor. “You got me there”, he smiled tersely, “Although I’m assuming you and your brother get the deposits I make in your account every month…”. “Yeah”, frowned Tsukki, “Feel free to knock that off-- at least, for me. I can give it all back, if you’d like. I don’t want your dirty money. You can’t bribe me into having a relationship with you.”

“Kei”, frowned Rokuro, “I’m not _trying_ to bribe you to see me. Whether you like it or not, you’re still my son, and even if I don’t love your mother anymore, it’s still my job to make sure my kids have everything they need. In fact, after talking it over with your aunt, I’m going to be paying your rent from now on-- at least until you finish college-- in addition to the money I send you.” “Don’t bother”, snorted Tsukki as he stabbed his remaining piece of duck. He really didn’t feel like eating, but if he didn’t do _something,_ he was going to wind up storming out on the woman whose goodwill he was currently depending on.

“No, no. I absolutely _insist._ I’m grateful that she’s helping out my boy. And I heard through the grapevine that you’re only doing it to help _your_ friend as well. And I mean, if you ever need a bigger place, just let your aunt know and she’ll send me the bill.” “Bigger place?!”, scoffed Tsukki in disbelief as he chewed over the gamey poultry. “Of course!”, started his father, “Aunt Shizu told me that the only thing she had available here in Sendai was a small one bedroom, but if you let me know, I’ll gladly help you look. You know, in case either of you gets a girlfriend or whatever. I’m sure you could both use your own rooms at that point, no matter how good friends you are.”

Tsukki’s face was flush with anger. He could no longer contain himself. “We’re not _friends_ ”, he said, his voice getting louder as he pushed himself up from the table, “Hinata’s my _boyfriend._ In fact, I just asked him to _marry_ me. And, unlike you, I intend to be by his side until the very end!” Both of the adults looked positively shocked as Kei towered over the table, panting after coming out so aggressively.

“Roku”, the older woman said, folding her arms, “I think you ought to go.” “No, no”, Tsukki interrupted, _“I’ll_ go.” Tsukki stood up straight before bowing deeply. “Aunt Shizu, thank you for lunch, as well as everything else you’ve done for me. I greatly appreciate it.” The younger man stood again before continuing, “I will continue paying the rental amount we’ve already agreed upon. If you plan on doing something like this again, please make sure that _he’s_ not here.” Tsukki turned on his heel, but his aunt called after him.

“Of course, Kei. I’m terribly sorry that this _oaf_ decided to ruin our lovely meal. I’ll reach out to you once I return from my business trip in Barcelona. And, next time, please bring your fiance along with you. I’d love to meet the boy that’s going to be my new nephew someday.” Tsukki glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see a look of derision or disgust on his aunt’s face, and was, instead, surprised to find a pleasant and sincere smile looking back at him. “I-- um-- okay. Thank you, Aunt Shizu.”

With that, Tsukki stormed out of the private dining room, shutting the doors behind him. He’d half-expected to see the whole restaurant staring at him after such a loud and aggressive outburst, but it seemed that the dining room had indeed been private in every sense of the word and that no one had noticed a thing.

He quickly pulled out his phone as he walked, noting that it was almost 2 o’clock. Hinata would be out of work soon, which was just about the biggest relief he could imagine. He could use someone to vent to and some comfort. Maybe he’d pick up some ice cream on his way home, and the two could just hang out and binge eat and hopefully he could forget about--

_“Tsukishima-kun?”_

A familiar voice called out to the blonde as he weaved through tables, trying his best to make his way to the exit as quickly as possible. He spun in the direction of the voice and was shocked to see his regular customer, Saito Takeshi, seated a few feet away from him. With a deep breath, he walked over to where the auburn-haired man was sitting.

“Wow, Tsukishima, what a surprise running into you-- and in a place like this, no less!”, smiled the older man. He gestured across the table to a portly middle-aged man sitting across from him. “This is my publisher, Masayuki-san. Masayuki-san, this is the young man that works at Hayashi Books that I’ve told you about.” “Pleased to meet you”, muttered the older man, before turning back to the author before him. “Now, Saito-san…”, he started, only to be waved off by the grey-eyed man.

“Tsukishima-kun, may I ask what you’re doing here? I mean, not that I’m not happy to see you! This is just the last place I’d expect to run into a highschool student.” Tsukki glanced back to the room that he’d just exited and was gripped by an intense sense of panic as the door began sliding open. He looked quickly to Saito and, smiling politely, said, “Leaving, actually. It was nice seeing you.” With that, he continued on. Moments later he heard Saito calling after him. “Wait up! Tsukishima-kun!”, called the older man as he increased his stride to catch up with the blonde.

Tsukki got out onto the sidewalk then paused for a moment. Saito emerged from from the restaurant seconds later, breathing heavily after practically running after the blonde. “Tsukishima”, he panted, “let me walk you home!”. Tsukki raised an eyebrow then waved politely. “Oh, no-- thank you for the offer, but it’s totally not necessary. Besides, I’m sure your publisher won’t appreciate you ditching him like that.” “Actually”, Saito smiled, “We were literally just waiting for the bill. He doesn’t mind if I skip out. In fact, I'm sure he prefers it.” Tsukki looked around nervously, waiting for his father to emerge at any second from the doors they stood in front of. “I mean, if you want to, that’s fine”, he shrugged, before taking a few steps down the road.

“So, Tsukishima-kun, may I ask again, what brought you to such a-- _ugh--_ hoity-toity place? I mean, for me, it’s just because the publishing house reimburses my publisher for meals he spends on us authors, so he likes to take full advantage of that. But you--” Tsukki interrupted Saito’s prying query with a snort. “I know”, he laughed, “one meal at that place could _easily_ cost me a whole week’s wages. I was meeting with my aunt, that’s all.”

Saito nodded as the two walked thoughtfully down the street. “Did you enjoy your lunch, then?”, the older man asked, noticing for the first time that his companions normally milky pallor was a bright pink. Tsukki shrugged. “The food was… weird. I like, I dunno, normal food, but I wound up getting this duck on top of some sort of sauce with this weird-ass rice…”. Saito couldn’t help himself-- he burst out laughing, both at Tsukki’s description of a meal the young author knew quite well as well as his candor. “So I guess”, the auburn haired man choked out through laughs, “that we can cross that restaurant off of the list of places we can go for our date!”. “Date?”, repeated Tsukki, unsure that he’d heard Takeshi correctly. The older man nodded. “Yeah, you know, our lunch date. I still have to thank you for all the extra work you do for me, and I’m really looking forward to having a conversation with someone actually at my level.”

 _‘Ah’,_ Tsukki thought to himself, _‘Lunch date. That makes more sense.’_ Soon the blonde was chuckling to himself. “I’m sorry”, he laughed, looking over to his companion with a smile, “I had a bit of wine this afternoon, so I’m afraid you might not find me to be much of a conversationalist on this walk.” Saito smiled back at the younger man. “Ah, the conversation may suffer as far as the topics of discussion are concerned, but I find conversations with those of altered mental states to be just as amusing. You know what they say, ‘in vino, veritas’.” “‘In wine, truth’”, nodded Tsukki.

After a momentary silence, Saito turned to the blonde and asked, “Do you live far from here?”. Tsukki shrugged. “It’s like another thirty minutes. I live pretty close to the bookstore.” “Thirty minutes?!”, exclaimed the older man, stopping suddenly on the sidewalk and whipping his phone out of his pocket. Tsukki spun and watched Saito confusedly as the older man tapped away on his phone. After a long minute, Saito looked back up. “A car’s going to come get us”, he smiled at the younger man. “A car…?”, Tsukki asked. Saito shrugged. “I had a car waiting for me at the restaurant, actually. I was gonna have it come pick me up once I walked you home. But _half an hour?_ That’s a bit much, I think.”

Tsukki found himself smiling softly. “My boyfriend used to walk an hour and a half to and from school, just because Karasuno was his dream school.” Saito raised an eyebrow. “‘Boyfriend?’”, he repeated, and suddenly the blonde’s pink undertone grew to be a full flush. “Oh- um- no, not like that, it’s--” “Tsukishima”, smiled Saito, placing his hand on the younger man’s arm, “We’re friends, right? Do you really think a friend-- in this day and age-- would judge you for dating a guy?”. Tsukki averted his gaze to the ground, thinking in silence for a long minute before looking up at Saito. “Y- you’re right”, blushed the younger man, “I was just… really nervous. I didn’t want to tell anyone, because I didn’t want it to negatively impact my job in any way.” “That’s silly”, Saito smiled, “but- your secret is safe with me. In fact, I’m glad you let it slip. I feel even closer to you now.” Tsukki found himself smiling again, grateful to know yet another person who so easily accepted his orientation.

“Oh!”, exclaimed Saito, “That’s our ride! Come on!”

After the two had settled into the back of a fancy black car, and after Tsukki had given his address to the driver, Saito turned to the blonde. “So, if you don’t mind my asking… when you were worried about your ‘roommate’ last week, is it safe to assume you were talking about this boyfriend?”. Tsukki rubbed the back of his head nervously and nodded. “I mean”, he started, glancing out the window, “it’s not exactly a _lie,_ since we live together and stuff.” “Wow”, smiled the older man, “that must be difficult, being a high school student and living away from home already. You’re, what, sixteen?”. Tsukki shook his head. “I’m actually going to be eighteen in a month and a half.” Saito nodded thoughtfully. “Well, your boyfriend must have a pretty nice job, to be able to support a high school student.” He paused briefly, and when Tsukki opened his mouth to speak, Saito cut him off. “Oh, wait! You just said that it was his first job _ever,_ right? So, is he a high school student like you? Or just… a delinquent?”. Tsukki grinned stupidly at the idea of Hinata being mischaracterized as a delinquent. “No”, the blonde said, “he’s a third year like me. He’s already eighteen, but because he lived so far from school, his parents never pushed him to get a job, and I was fine just supporting us, too.” Saito nodded thoughtfully. “Well”, the grey-eyed man smiled, placing his hand on top of Tsukki’s, which had been resting on the seat between them, “I know high school relationships are tough. If you ever need anything or need anyone to talk to, let me know, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.” Tsukki smiled softly. His head felt fuzzy, and he didn’t really trust his own thoughts at the moment, but it seemed to him like Saito was being _overly_ friendly. He shook it off, though, thanking the older man for his offer and mentally chastising himself for mistaking this man’s generosity for ill-intent.

It wasn’t long before the car reached Tsukki’s apartment, and, after thanking Saito profusely, the blonde staggered up the stairs to his residence, eager to collapse in the bed until his beloved redhead came home. As he fished in his pocket for his keys, his phone buzzed.

Pulling it out, he saw a message from Saito, saying simply, “Don’t forget to remind me when we can do lunch! :)”

Tsukki smiled softly. _‘What a nice guy’,_ he thought to himself as he quickly typed back, “Don’t worry! I’ll let you know as soon as I’m free!”.

 


	15. An Unwelcome Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unwelcome guest shows up on Tsukishima Kei's doorstep.

Wednesday morning found Tsukishima Kei with a massive, throbbing headache as he trudged to work. The night before, he’d fallen asleep very early (particularly by his standards), and slept for a whopping thirteen hours before waking up sick.

He’d barely seen Hinata-- a thought he lamented greatly as he forced himself to shower and get dressed in his uncomfortably silent apartment that morning-- though he did have little flashes of memories here and there of flirting _excessively_ with his own boyfriend the night before.

‘Learning about wine’, as his aunt had put it, was not something he was interested in, especially if it carried the heavy price tag of hangovers and cringey memories. Every new hiccup of a recollection made him shudder in embarrassment, though he could not help but recount all of the events that took place the prior afternoon. Predictably, the sequence of events got fuzzier and fuzzier the more he remembered seeing his glass in his hand. He’d met up with his aunt-- that much he knew-- and they’d had mundane conversation until his father showed up, at which point things became pointedly contentious. But… that was where his memories clouded over. He remembered revealing his true relationship with Hinata to his aunt and father, though he didn’t remember his exact choice of words. He remembered that his aunt seemed to be supportive; he didn’t recall his father’s reaction. He remembered having some sort of weird, fancy food that tasted like seasoned nothing.

His phone reminded him that he’d called his mom at some point in the afternoon, and though the call record said they’d spoken for nearly half an hour, he didn’t remember a word of it. For all he knew, he’d left a 27-minute-long voice message for her. He’d also called Hinata, who presumably did not pick up, based on the timer of <1 minute, and he’d texted Yamaguchi an embarrassingly affectionate note. In fact, it was so embarrassing that, the moment he saw it that morning, he deleted their entire text message conversation history, so that even if he had to be plagued with the memory, he’d never have to see the message again. With time, he might even be able to forget that it ever happened _(was what he was trying to convince himself as chills ran up his spine once more and his stomach turned)_. And then there were the messages exchanged with his most regular customer. It was a brief exchange in and of itself, but Tsukki couldn’t help but feel that there might’ve been more to the interaction than the context he woke up to. The messages simply read:

 **Takeshi (3:18pm):** Don’t forget to remind me when you can do lunch! :)  
**Kei (3:19pm):** dnt wrry!1 ill let you knw as dsoon as im fee!  
**Takeshi (3:21pm):** lol alright! I’m holding you to it, buddy!

  
It unnerved Tsukki. He wasn’t sure why, but _something_ nagged at the back of his mind, suggesting that maybe he’d seen Saito more recently than he was aware.

In truth, he liked the older man. He enjoyed having someone to speak with that authentically had the same interests as he did. As much as he adored Hinata, their conversations were limited to the things they shared in common-- things like school, work, their apartment, their relationship, and, of course, volleyball. It wasn’t like he could just bring home a novel and ask Hinata to read and discuss it with him. He could make such a request of Yamaguchi and, to be fair, the freckle-faced boy would always follow through, but it seemed more as an active effort to engage with Kei than a sincere appreciation for literature (or music, or philosophy, or anything else that the blonde tried to have a discussion over with his best friend). He was pretty sure that Yamaguchi would be equally happy if Tsukki wanted to uphold a conversation regarding a rock he found on the side of the road. Whereas Saito… Saito was a literary _critic,_ as well as an author. Tsukki had read two of his books out of curiosity and was thoroughly impressed by both their depth and ease of comprehension.

But as much as he enjoyed his conversations with the grey-eyed man, there was a part of him that wished that they could limit their interactions once more to when he was being _paid_ to interact with him. It had been a pleasant interruption to his otherwise mundane duties, but now that Saito was texting him and looking to hang out outside of work, Tsukki felt a little bit more pressure whenever the older man entered the bookshop. A piece of him felt as if he owed Saito some sort of explanation for why he hadn’t followed up yet, even though it had already been a few weeks since the he and the auburn-haired man exchanged contact information.

Tsukki was grateful beyond words to be working a very short shift that day; he was only in from 10am to 1pm to help take in a delivery. At one point while unloading boxes from the delivery truck, the blonde did have to excuse himself and vomit in the bathroom, but otherwise it was an entirely average day at work and neither Mr. or Mrs. Hayashi seemed to notice how terrible he was feeling. He even got away without so much as a single interaction with a customer, which was practically a miracle in and of itself.

As he began his ten-minute trek back home, he briefly considered going to his mom’s house in the silent, selfish hope that she would recognize how shitty he felt immediately and care for him, but he thought better of it upon remembering the conversation he’d apparently had with her twenty-four hours prior. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through it once more, studying the device for evidence of any further damage dealt to his social life, and though he found nothing to suggest that he’d spoken with anyone else, he still felt disheartened; he knew his afternoon was going to be spent apologizing to the people he’d reached out to in his altered state of mind.

Through his brief walk he texted Yamaguchi, sending a quick explanation of his prior afternoon to his best friend and apologizing for the cringe-worthy message he’d sent, and had started on sending his mother some sort of an explanation when he rounded the corner by his apartment and found an unpleasantly familiar face leaning against a car and looking up at his building. Tsukki tried to ignore the well-dressed man, clinging to the opposite side of the sidewalk as best as he could while readying his key so he could quickly slip it in the handle and hopefully escape unnoticed, but his plan was foiled when his father called out, “Kei?”.

Tsukki felt his blood run cold, and all the air was sapped from his lungs. He’d made it as far as getting the key half-way in the handle but found that the sudden utterance of his name paralyzed him completely.

“Kei…?”, the voice repeated again. With all the strength Tsukki could muster, he shoved the key inside the handle and turned it as quickly as he could; unfortunately, now, of all times, the lock decided to jam, and he was having trouble opening it.

“What are you doing here?”, the blonde grumbled under his breath as he struggled against the doorknob. “I came to see you”, his father responded, his voice growing closer to the blonde with each word. “I don’t want to see you”, Tsukki replied, “and I would appreciate it if you’d leave.” A hand gently grasped his shoulder, and Tsukki found himself spinning away from his father’s touch as if it burned him. _“Don’t touch me”,_ Tsukki growled, levelling his gaze with his progenitor. As his father’s voice sadly begged, “ _Kei…”,_ the blonde glanced to the doorknob. He was feeling trapped, cornered by his father’s sudden reemergence into his life and his apartment’s unwillingness to let him in. In a moment of panic, the blonde snatched his keys from the lock and, with one last glance at his father, took off running. He heard his father yell after him, but he was reasonably certain that the older man was not about to follow him and risk wrinkling his precious suit.

In a matter of minutes, Tsukki was pressed against the front door inside of his mother’s house, panting heavily as he tried to regain his breath. He slowly sunk to the floor, leaning his head back as he clenched his eyes shut.

“Kei?”, echoed a voice from inside the house, stopping his heart briefly as he was instantly reminded of his father’s intrusion, “Kei, what are you doing here? Are you okay?”. With great effort, the blonde opened his eyes and saw his brother approaching from down the hall.

“Where’s mom?”, Tsukki asked quickly, his breath still jagged. Akiteru frowned. “She’s at work. She’s working a--” “--double shift”, Kei interrupted, repeating the words he’d heard countless times throughout his life from Akiteru. He couldn’t help but let out a small groan; he still wasn’t feeling good physically, and he really wanted to vent to his mom about the unwelcome visitor he’d just encountered. Aside from Hinata, Tsukki’s mom was just about the only person he felt comfortable opening up to, and it was only through years and years of her chiseling away at his defenses. He looked up, appraising his brother, before sighing and climbing to his feet once more.

“...I ran into dad”, Tsukki said with a frown as he studied the floorboards in the front hall. Akiteru crossed his arms and did his best to hold back a smile. “I know”, responded the older Tsukishima, “...apparently you told mom _all_ about it last night.” Tsukki glanced up, then back down quickly. “...don’t remind me”, sighed the younger blonde, “...but that’s not what I’m talking about. Today-- when I was getting home from work-- dad was waiting outside my apartment.” All amusement fell from Akiteru’s face.

When their father walked out on their mother almost a decade prior, both boys had been extremely shocked and hurt. Their mother did their best to shield them from any details that might harm them and never let so much as a single tear fall in front of her sons, but late at night, when both boys were supposed to be long asleep, they could each hear her muffled sobs. Akiteru did his best, at the tender age of fifteen, to step up and do as much as he could around the house so his mother didn’t have to stress as much. He taught himself how to cook and volunteered to babysit Kei so that their mother was free to work evening shifts. Akiteru harbored a deep-seated resentment towards his father for all that their mother had to take on in his absence, but Kei experienced something more like pure rage. He _hated_ the man that had caused such strife in his family. His father had never really been around _anyway--_ he would supposedly work late into the night and go on business trips nearly every week. (After he left it became clear that he was really helping raise his other family.) For as distant as Kei was from his father, he was very close with his mother, and looked up to Akiteru. At a meager eight years old, he wasn’t able to do anything that could actually help those around him; he cleaned as often and as well as he could, but that was about the extent of his contribution. The only other thing he could do was to try to give his family as little trouble as possible. He always kept his grades up, even once he was placed in advanced classes upon getting such high marks, and did his best to keep to himself. Never once, through all the years of being a broken family, did Kei speak of his father, nor think of the man fondly (or at all, if he could help it).

His compounded _years_ of anger had festered into a pure hatred, one that he kept bottled up and carried with him through his life. Akiteru was aware of this to some degree. Kei’s reaction the few times their father was brought up was more than enough to grant the older Tsukishima some insight into his brother’s thoughts and feelings. This only worried Akiteru more, as Kei stood before him, kicking anxiously at the ground.

“Come on”, motioned the older blonde, “I’ll make tea and you can tell me what happened.”

 

“...and all I could think to do was run here.”

Tsukki’s story took almost half an hour to tell, spanning from his luncheon the day prior through their present conversation. Akiteru sat with his head resting on his palm, listening intently and taking in every word his brother shared. When Kei finally finished speaking, the older of the two sat up. “Wow… what an _asshole._ I can see why you called mom and ranted for as long as you did.” Tsukki rolled his eyes. He still did not want to think about all the things he may or may not have done while he was drunk. “...so what are you going to do?”, Akiteru asked, taking a sip of his tea. Tsukki shrugged as he swirled his own inside his teacup. “I have no idea”, the younger blonde frowned, “The last thing I want to do is actually run into him, but I mean… I have to go home eventually. And now he knows where I live…”. Suddenly Akiteru glanced to the clock on the wall then looked back to his brother and asked, “Um… Kei? ...where’s Shōyō right now?”. Tsukki echoed his brother’s gesture, glancing up to the clock before jumping up. He pulled his phone out as quickly as possible, only to find two missed calls and three unread messages from Hinata (and one from Yamaguchi, but that wasn’t as important at the moment).

 **Shōyō ♡ (1:30pm):** hey i just got out! Want 2 get lucnh or sumthin? ҉*\\( ‘ω’ )/*҉  
**Shōyō ♡ (1:34pm):** kei?  
**Shōyō ♡ (1:42pm):** umm where r u & y rnt u picking up my call? (๑•﹏•)

Tsukki excused himself for a moment and called Hinata, who picked up almost instantly. “Kei???”, the voice on the other end exclaimed, “Where are you? Why didn’t you answer my calls and stuff?”. Tsukki frowned, “Sorry-- are you okay? Is everything okay?”. Hinata paused for a moment before replying, “...yes? I’m fine? ...are _you_ okay?”. Tsukki’s heart was pounding out of his chest. “Are you alone?”, he asked, completely ignoring Hinata’s query. “ _What?_ Yes, I’m alone, unless you mean LG-- I mean, I’m home and with our cat. What is wrong with you?”. Tsukki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Nothing-- nothing. I’m at my mom’s house. I’m gonna come home now, so I’ll be there in like ten minutes.”

After exchanging goodbyes with his love, Tsukki stood up and gently set his cup in the sink. Turning back to Akiteru, he nervously played with his bracelet as he choked out, “...thank you for listening to me.” Akiteru stood and crossed the room, placing his own cup in the sink before pulling his younger brother into a surprise hug. “Anytime, Kei. You know I’m always here for you.” “You’re not going to be here _on this earth_ for much longer if you don’t let go of me”, threatened the taller man. Akiteru acquiesced, though as he pulled away, he asked, “You want a ride home?”. Tsukki shook his head, to which Akiteru responded, “Are you sure? What if Dad’s still there?”. Tsukki shrugged and turned to leave. “...Shōyō’s home. I have all the motivation I need to actually _make_ the door work.”

 _‘It’s only a ten minute walk home’,_ Tsukki thought as he anxiously walked back home, _‘I didn’t need a ride. There’s no reason for_ **_both_ ** _of us to run the risk of seeing that asshole.’_ Tsukki did his best not to think. He focused on breathing and on putting one foot in front of the other. With enough steps, he’d be stepping into his apartment, and that was really all that mattered to him. He didn’t need to think about his dad or the possibility of that man still being in front of his apartment. He didn’t need to think about all the pain his father had caused his mother and brother, all the extra stress just so he could selfishly shack up with someone younger. He didn’t need to think about whatever siblings he supposedly had through his father; Akiteru was the only sibling he had, and the only sibling he wanted (and, well, half the time he didn’t even want Akiteru, either). He didn’t need to think at all. He just needed to get home.

The tall blonde was dizzy with anxiety and honestly having trouble breathing when he finally rounded the corner by his apartment; much to his relief, there was not a single person to be seen on the entire street, nor were there any cars that stood out for being too fancy. Everything was normal-- everything was the way it had been for the month that the young couple had gotten to know their neighborhood.

It was only once he was safely inside of his apartment that Tsukki was actually able to breathe once more. He slipped off his shoes and followed the sound of the tv to find Hinata, splayed out across the couch with LG sleeping on his chest. Tsukki quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the adorable sight before sitting on the edge of the couch beside Hinata. _“Hey, baby”,_ he said quietly, gently stroking Hinata’s cheek as he spoke, _“I’m home”._ Hinata began stirring, though the small kitten remained sound asleep. When he finally popped an eye open, Hinata smiled, “Oh, _hey.”_ “Hey”, laughed Tsukki, “We literally _just_ talked on the phone like, fifteen minutes ago. How did you fall asleep so quickly?”. Hinata stretched once more and shrugged, “I had a long day. But! I didn’t burn myself today, not even once!”. Tsukki rolled his eyes, though he could not contain his smile. “And I’m supposed to be _impressed?”,_ he laughed.

Hinata gently placed his hand on the kitten’s back before moving to sit up. He moved slowly and carefully, so as not to disturb his pet, until he was completely upright and holding Little Giant as if he was a baby. After the entire process was completed and Tsukki had moved to take an actual seat on the couch, Hinata turned to his boyfriend and asked, “What was up with you today? You never go anywhere without telling me, and you seemed really freaked out when we spoke.”

The blonde frowned as he tried to think about where to start his story; his frown only deepened when he realized that Hinata may not be aware of the previous day’s events. That frown turned into a slight cringe as he reflected on the few interactions with Shōyō he could remember. Most of them featured Tsukki aggressively hitting on Hinata, and few of them featured the blonde wearing any clothes.

“Ah, um, first off”, he said as his face flushed brightly with embarrassment, “I’m sorry for anything that I said or did last night. ...um… my aunt had me try a lot of different wines, and I got pretty drunk.” Hinata thought for a moment before laughing. “I know, silly”, the redhead replied brightly, “Especially because you told me about a thousand times last night. Every other word out of your mouth was ‘I’m sorry, I’m drunk, I had wine for the first time today, this is weird’.” The blonde frowned. “I… don’t remember much, but I’m sure I was inappropriate and I’m sorry.” Again Hinata laughed, _“Please._ I thought it was really cute. I don’t get to see flirty Kei that often. It was a nice change, except for all the puking you did last night.” “Puking…?”, started Tsukki, only to shake his head and continue, “You know what? Nevermind. I don’t want to know. I just want _you_ to know that I’m sorry if I crossed a line or anything, and that I don’t intend to drink alcohol again-- at least, not until you and I can drink together.” “Fair enough”, nodded Hinata, gently stroking LG’s back as the two spoke.

After a moment, the redhead turned back to his boyfriend. “You still haven’t answered me”, he chided, “What was up with you today?”. After a brief pause, Tsukki sighed and said, “So, I’m not really sure what I told you about yesterday, and I don’t know how much of what I told you is even accurate. Do you mind if I start there, and then work my way to what happened today?”

 

Tsukishima’s retelling of the story took even longer to share with Hinata than it had with Akiteru. The redhead was an active listener and interrupted Tsukki often to ask questions. When he was finally done, though, the two sat in silence for a long while. Tsukki assumed that Hinata was just thinking it over and taking in the information he’d just been bombarded with until the redhead spoke. His words were uncharacteristically distant and he studied the floor as he began talking.

“...so you’re telling me that all this happened and you didn’t even _think_ to text me or anything?”. Tsukki was dumbfounded. Of all the possible reactions that Hinata could’ve had, this was not one that the blonde had anticipated. “Um… yeah, I guess? I didn’t really have the _time_ to think, I just panicked, ran to my mom’s house, and--” “And that’s another thing”, interrupted the redhead, “You ran to _your mom’s_ house. You didn’t come running to me. And you didn’t even _think_ about what would’ve happened if _I_ happened to run into your dad…”.

Tsukki repositioned himself on the couch, turning to face Hinata, who still was not looking at him. “Um, I’m sorry, but, Shōyō, are you _mad at me?”,_ the blonde asked, still in disbelief. It took Hinata a moment to finally answer, but when he did he looked up at Tsukki with cold eyes. “Yeah”, he replied, “I guess I am.” Tsukki reeled as if he’d been struck, struggling for a moment before regaining enough composure to ask, “...you don’t think that’s a little ridiculous, for _you_ to be mad at me when _I’m_ the one dealing with this shit right now?”. Hinata shrugged before looking back at the cat. “Not really”, he answered aloofly, “I think it’s ridiculous that you didn’t think about me even for a second during all of this.” “Shōyō, this isn’t _about_ you”, Tsukki argued. Hinata whipped his head back towards the blonde. _“Everything_ that has to do with you has to do with me now, you jerk! I’m not even gonna go into all of the possible hypotheticals that could’ve come up because you didn’t think about me!”, he exclaimed, jumping up at the end of his statement. “I feel like I don’t even _know_ who you are right now. The Kei _I_ fell in love with thought about me first for _everything._ You used to call me and tell me about any little thing that happened to you. I mean, you even called me once just to tell me you saw a cat on your walk home! And now! Now you _leave_ a situation literally on our front doorstep that I could’ve walked into, and didn’t even _think_ to let me know what happened, or that you wouldn’t be home?! And all this, a day after coming home super drunk? I mean, _what the hell,_ Kei?!”

Hinata did not leave room for Tsukki to respond. Instead, he stormed off towards the bedroom, cat in hand, and slammed the door behind him. Tsukki could hear the lock click, and the redhead called out, “Don’t even _try_ to talk to me until you’re ready to apologize!”.

 _‘Apologize?’,_ the blonde thought to himself as he slumped over on the couch, _‘What am I supposed to apologize for? For completely freaking out when I saw my dad…? I know he’s mad that I didn’t think about him, but I didn’t think about anything at all besides booking it out of here. What the hell is going on?’._

Tsukishima Kei had experienced some bad days in his lifetime, but this one was quickly making its way towards the top of that list.

 


	16. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The same day, from Hinata's perspective.

Hinata Shōyō had historically always been a morning person. He generally had no problem getting up, and his several-mile-long run each morning gave him more than enough energy to face the day ahead. But he was beginning to feel that his time spent as a morning person was coming to an end with the advent of his new job. He only worked a few days a week but on those few days, he found himself struggling to get out of bed. He’d never let Tsukishima know how he felt, but making coffee was _hard,_ and the people who came in search of coffee in the early morning were _not_ the most pleasant people in the world. On top of that, he had more things to worry about than he’d ever had before, from the loss of his entire support network to various concerns he had about his boyfriend, the latter of which he mulled over as he did his best to set up for the morning rush.

Tsukki had gone out with his aunt the day prior. This alone had been a massive source of anxiety for Hinata, as neither boy had any idea what Aunt Shizu’s intentions had been for meeting with her nephew. Hinata couldn’t go even if he’d wanted to, as he was stuck covering Kira’s midday shift. When he got home late that afternoon, he was completely shocked to find his boyfriend drunk, cooking pancakes without a shirt on. After generously offering Hinata half of his pancakes, Tsukki proceeded to flirt heavily with his boyfriend and even managed to grope him briefly before throwing up (in the bathroom, thankfully), and then promptly passing out, (mostly) fully clothed, in their bed, leaving Hinata to clean up his uneaten breakfast-for-dinner before scrounging for food for himself. He and Little Giant spent the night just watching tv before retiring early to bed, where the redhead slept uncomfortably around Tsukki’s poorly-positioned body.

Hinata had begun to worry when he woke up the next morning to find that Kei still hadn’t moved, though his worries were lessened when he touched his blonde boyfriend and found that his skin was warm, confirming that Kei was not dead (even if it felt like he’d been asleep forever). With a mischievous smile, Hinata bent down and gently pecked Tsukki on the lips, half expecting him to wake up from true love’s kiss. He couldn’t deny that he was ever so slightly disappointed when his beloved princess kept on sleeping. Hinata hated to leave Kei that morning, but he had to go to work; he only hoped that the blonde would be awake by the time he got home from his shift that afternoon.

As he ground down his third variety of coffee beans for the day, Hinata realized that he _still_ had no clue what had happened with Tsukki and his aunt. He tried to ask the blonde, but all he got in response was a muddled sentence with the words, ‘wine’, ‘learning’, ‘sorry’, and ‘bastard’. Surprisingly, these words did not clue him in to a single thing that had occurred the evening prior. Well, except ‘wine’. That one made it pretty obvious.

A warm hand placed gently on his shoulder shook Shōyō from his thoughts, and he jumped; he’d completely forgotten that anyone else was around as he set about his duties that morning. Kira, one of his coworkers and his boss’ daughter, stood frowning at him. “Are you okay?”, she asked gently, removing her hand as she stared at the redhead. Hinata laughed nervously, turning his attention back to the coffee beans as he said, “Oh, yeah, I’m fine, thanks!”. Kira stood unwavering. Her frown deepened and she sighed, “...you don’t _seem_ fine. You don’t have your normal sunny disposition. It looks like something’s bothering you. ” Hinata bit his lip and shook his head. “Nope”, he laughed, “I’m good! Just… thinking about stuff!” Kira’s frown deepened even further. “Well, okay, if you say so”, she sighed, turning back towards the take-out cups she was stocking, “but if you need to talk, I’m here.” “Thanks!”, cheered Hinata, before returning his focus to what he was working on.

 _‘Get it together’,_ he chastised himself, _‘You can’t let stuff like this impact you at work.’_

In spite of his own reprimand, Hinata couldn’t help but let his mind wander back to the situation at hand. He was worried about Tsukki and hoped that the blonde was up and, more importantly, alive. He was frustrated that it had come to this-- in a way, everything _was_ Hinata’s fault. If his father never found out about their relationship, they both could be living at home still, and Tsukki wouldn’t have had to go out to lunch with his aunt, and wouldn’t have wound up coming home drunk. That line of thinking inevitably wound up leading him towards thoughts of his own family. Each day that passed brought a deeper sense of hopelessness that he would never see the people he loved most for the first seventeen years of his life again.

 _“Excuse me, young man, this is_ **_not_ ** what I ordered!”  
_“Ugh, this is the worst coffee I’ve ever had!”  
“I’m never coming back here again!”_

By 11 o’clock, Hinata was more than ready to take his lunch break. He couldn’t stop thinking. He couldn’t stop worrying. He could not focus on work, no matter how hard he tried, and it was showing-- mostly in his customer’s responses to his service.

He tried to lay his head down on his folded arms as he sat at a table in the corner, but found that even then he couldn’t calm himself down. A sudden _thud_ on the table nearly made him jump out of his skin. “Here”, came Kira’s voice coolly. Hinata looked up and found that the previous ‘thud’ was from a bottle of iced tea being tossed unceremoniously onto the table. Once he was sitting up, Kira set a cookie down in front of him and took the seat across the table. “What is going _on_ with you?”, she asked, folding her arms and scanning the empty shop as she spoke. “Oh, it’s no--” “Don’t lie to me”, the young woman interrupted, “It’s _obvious_ that something’s bothering you.” Hinata mindlessly played with his bracelet as he thought of anything that he could say to his coworker to get her off of his case. “I just…”, he started, frowning as he paused to think of what to say next, “...I have a lot going on at home. That’s all.” “Well”, Kira said, continuing to avoid eye contact with Hinata, “if you want to talk, I’m still here.” “I appreciate it”, Hinata said, forcing a smile as he spoke, “but, if it’s all the same to you, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Kira impatiently drummed her fingers on the table for a moment before leaning forward and propping her head up on her elbow. “Well then”, she said, finally turning her gaze to the young redhead, “why don’t we talk about something else? I mean, you’ve been working here for, what, a couple weeks now, and I still don’t know much about you.” Hinata took a sip of his drink before nodding. “Um, okay”, he said, smiling a little more cheerfully. Kira leaned back in her chair and sighed, “Besides, it’s like, completely _dead_ in here. Which, I guess, is a good thing, considering how much you’ve screwed up today.” Hinata felt his face flush as his smile faded once more, causing the young woman to sit forward again. “Oh, no-- I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just-- it’s obvious that something is bothering you, that’s all.”

“Let’s see”, she said, drumming her fingers once more as she thought of what they could talk about, “Well-- I guess, just tell me about yourself, right? Since I practically know nothing about you right now.” Hinata frowned at the vagueness of the prompt, swirling his drink around as he thought of what to say. “Well, um…”, he started as his mind did its best to drudge up anything worth mentioning, “...I’m 18 and a third year in high school. I play on my school’s volleyball team, and--” “Oh!”, Kira interrupted, “What school do you go to?” Hinata paused briefly before replying, “Karasuno. It was my dream school when I was in middle school.” Kira nodded thoughtfully. “My brother, sister, and I all went to Aobajōsai. Dad liked the idea of private school. I graduated in June, actually.” “Oh!”, chimed Hinata, “So you’re not that much older than me, huh?” Kira shook her head. “I just turned 19. I would’ve been your senpai”, she said, grinning broadly at the last part of her statement. Hinata laughed and asked, “Do you want me to call you senpai?”, to which the young woman rolled her eyes and shook her head. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”, she grinned, “Besides. It’s never good to make a lady feel old. If you started calling me senpai, I think I’d start to feel the one-year-age-gap between us grow.”

Hinata felt himself begin to relax. Despite being the boss’ daughter, Kira was surprisingly down to earth and easy to talk to. They briefly compared their high school experiences and Hinata spoke of his achievements in volleyball, at which point Kira admitted that she used to go watch her school’s volleyball team in her first and second year because of the cute guy on their school’s team. Hinata had a guess as to who that might have been but withheld his commentary on the matter. Kira told Hinata that she’d be starting college in September, and admitted that she had no idea what she wanted to do, at which point Hinata echoed her sentiments and began worrying about his own impending choices with this coming school year. All in all, the two spoke for nearly half an hour before a customer finally came in and interrupted their chat. Hinata moved to stand, but Kira waved a dismissive hand at him. “You sit. I’ve got this”, she smiled, before running up and apologizing for the (brief) wait.

As Kira tended to the customer, Hinata finally took a bite out of the cookie he’d been given and found his mind wandering once more. This time his thoughts were much more placid, and he felt like Kira’s distraction had actually served their intended purpose: he felt as if he could return to work without any other major screw ups happening.

He quickly stood and cleared his spot before returning to the counter. “Um, Kira?”, he asked apprehensively once the customer had left the shop. “Hm?”, the young woman asked as she restocked the cash register with change. Hinata smiled softly, “Thanks for the talk. I’m feeling much better.” Kira grinned over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the cash. “I’m glad”, she smiled. After a moment she added, “You know what would make _me_ feel much better?” “What?” “If you’d clean the tabletops and sweep up for me.” Hinata laughed and reached under the sink for the washrag. “You know, I feel like you’re just saying that so _you_ don’t have to do those things”, he said as he rounded the counter once more. Kira smiled and shrugged, “You got me”.

For the first time since he’d begun working at The Daily Grind, Hinata and Kira carried on conversations as they each did their duties. As Hinata cleaned up the shop, Kira washed out the espresso cups and stirrers, and the two chatted contentedly whenever the store was without customers. It had been so pleasant that Hinata _almost_ didn’t want to leave when the clock struck 2 o’clock. ... _Almost._

In the end, he was still eager to see Tsukishima. Before he even managed to remove his apron and hang it up, he’d sent a text off to his beloved to see if maybe the blonde wanted to go get something to eat. Tsukki was normally very timely with his responses to Hinata’s messages, and the redhead couldn’t help but feel somewhat disheartened when he saw that he hadn’t gotten an answer as he left the shop. He started walking home and sent off another text to his boyfriend, simply saying, “kei?”. He gave it five minutes before he called Tsukishima; he didn’t want to bother him unnecessarily, especially if Tsukki was, say, in the shower or something. When the blonde failed to answer his call, however, Hinata began to panic, and wound up running the rest of the way home wondering if maybe he was wrong, and maybe Kei _wasn’t_ alive when he touched him this morning. After all, that was an abnormally large time for anyone to sleep-- even the generally sleepy Tsukishima Kei-- right? ‘ _Can people die from drinking wine?’,_ Hinata found himself wondering as he thrust his key in his front door. He leapt up the stairs, shoving the key into the door to their unit and bursting into the apartment as quickly as possible. He was shocked to find that Tsukki was not home. The blonde hadn’t texted at all to tell Hinata that he was leaving, nor had he left a note on their whiteboard (as had become the standard method of communication in the time they’d spent living together).

Hinata tried calling Tsukki again and was upset when the call was not answered once more. He texted the blonde for a third time, asking where he was and why he didn’t answer the phone, before electing to look around the apartment more thoroughly, in order to make sure that Tsukki hadn’t fallen or passed out in a strange place or anything. Hinata searched _everywhere_ and was both relieved and dismayed when his search turned up nothing.

He wasn’t sure what to do. Should he call around and see if anyone had seen Kei? Maybe the blonde was at work and couldn’t answer. Should he call the bookstore? Should he call Akiteru or their mom or Yamaguchi to see if anyone had heard from Tsukki? Should he call the cops to report a missing person?

He did his best to try to and calm himself down but found that he was having a hard time thinking of anything other than the various catastrophes that may have befallen his beloved. It had been nearly half an hour since his last message to Tsukishima, and Hinata was typing out a text to Yamaguchi when his phone lit up with Tsukki’s face. He scrambled to swipe ‘answer’, desperate to make sure that his boyfriend was okay.

“Kei???”, Hinata asked into the receiver the moment he answered the call, “Where are you? Why didn’t you answer my calls and stuff?”. “Sorry-- are you okay? Is everything okay?”, came the voice on the other end. Tsukishima sounded strange, an air of concern and worry coming across with each word he spoke. This threw Hinata off, as he was pretty sure that _he_ was the one who was supposed to be concerned in this particular situation. “...yes?”, he replied, a clear question in his voice, “I’m fine? ...are _you_ okay?”.  Tsukki replied, “Are you alone?”, which only further confused the young redhead. “W- what?”, Hinata asked, slightly annoyed that the blonde had dodged _his_ question in favor of asking his own, “Yes, I’m alone-- unless you mean LG. I mean, I’m home and with our cat. ...What is wrong with you?”. “Nothing-- nothing”, came the exasperated voice from the other end of the phone. Hinata was beginning to feel annoyed. Why was Kei talking to him like _he_ was the one who’d gone missing and was acting unpredictably? “I’m at my mom’s house”, Tsukki continued, “I’m gonna come home now, so I’ll be there in like ten minutes.” “...alright”, Hinata answered, frowning deeply at the blonde’s confusing behavior, “I’ll be here. Be careful coming home.” “I will. Love you.” “I love you too. Bye.”

Hinata had no idea what to make of the weird conversation he’d just had with his boyfriend. Not only did Tsukki wholly fail to allay his worry-- his cryptic manner of speaking and veritable barrage of questions had given Hinata a whole new set of concerns. Ultimately the redhead decided that there wasn’t a thing he could do about these concerns until Tsukishima was actually _with_ him. Though he found it impossible to relax, he still did his best to sit back, cuddle his kitten, and watch some mindless tv until Kei arrived home.

 

Hinata was having a hard time coming to grips with reality as he slammed his bedroom door behind him, locking it before yelling, “Don’t even _try_ to talk to me until you’re ready to apologize!”.  It was only once he was alone that he allowed all of his emotions of the day to hit him. He was immediately overwhelmed by feelings of despair, frustration, fear, inadequacy, and worry as he thought through everything that had occurred over the previous twenty four hours.

He and Kei didn’t fight often, but each time they did he felt a little more hopeless and a little more alone. As he sat in the middle of his bed, tears streaming down his face while his kitten slept peacefully in his lap, the little redhead couldn’t help but feel completely isolated. It hadn’t even been two minutes after he shut the bedroom door that he heard the front door to their apartment slam shut. Tsukki was presumably going to go talk to his mother, or his brother, or Yamaguchi, or, well, any of the numerous people who cared about him, while Hinata sat alone in his bedroom and cried.

He didn’t have a family anymore. He didn’t have loved ones he could turn to. Kageyama was his best friend, but he couldn’t exactly confide in _him_ about his relationship troubles. In truth, he didn’t feel like he had anyone that he could _really_ talk to. For perhaps the first time in his life, he felt truly alone, and wasn’t handling it well.

Throughout everything in life, he’d always managed to look on the bright side. He always tried to be optimistic and could usually pick out good parts of even the shittiest of situations. He did not allow himself to wallow, instead choosing to approach his life proactively. But right now, as he lay miserably on his bed, he couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps every decision he’d ever made was the wrong one, and maybe-- just maybe-- he was stupid for ever being so optimistic.

Right now he couldn’t see the silver lining.

Instead, everything he thought of was just another reason to despair.


	17. Broken Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kei comes back and attempts to make up with Shoyo.

In the middle of the night, a warm touch shook Hinata from his sleep. The room was dark and had become quite chilly, with the exception of the spot on his head that his kitten LG was sleeping against. It took a few moments him to remember why he was cold and in the dark in the first place, and why this touch-- a touch that he’d grown to know so well over the last year and a half-- would be enough to jar him from his slumber.

“How’d you get in here?”, Hinata whispered, remaining motionless as he spoke. He _wanted_ to put his arms on top of the arms that were around his waist, to intertwine his fingers with the lanky digits that grasped at his shirt, to snuggle up and be as close to the body behind him as possible, but he couldn’t allow himself to do that-- not until the blonde apologized.

He felt Tsukki exhale sharply-- a laugh-- before he spoke. His voice was soft and gentle, as if he was reassuring an injured animal in the hopes that it wouldn’t attack him. “The locks in this place are pretty crappy. All you have to do is stick a coin in the handle and jiggle it a little.”

The silence when he stopped speaking was harsh and oppressive, smothering the life out of the redhead until Tsukishima finally spoke once more.

“I’m sorry, Shōyō”, Tsukki said, tightening his grip around the small waist before him, “I was scared. I wanted to see my mom. I didn’t even think. And, while I’m sure you wouldn’t have been in any sort of danger at all, I should’ve thought about what would’ve happened if you had run into _him._ I was wrong, and I’m sorry.” Hinata wasn’t sure how to respond. The words Kei were speaking were exactly what he’d wanted to hear, but his tone… something in his tone made the hair on the back of Hinata’s neck stand on end. ‘Patronizing’ wouldn’t have been the right word, but neither was ‘genuine’. It was a discomforting tone that made his skin crawl. Still, in the interest of forgiveness, Hinata responded, “I’m sorry that I blew up at you after you had such a bad day.”

Tsukki tightened his grip around the redhead even further, and Hinata allowed himself to fold his fingers around the blonde’s.

“I love you, Shōyō. You’re _always_ my first priority. You know that, right?”

Now Tsukki’s voice had an entirely different tone. This time it was definitely sincere, but something in it sounded almost desperate as the blonde pressed his forehead against Hinata’s fiery locks. The redhead nodded gently.

“I love you too, Kei.”

He paused a long moment before taking a deep breath and continuing, “You’re all that I have. I’m sorry I’m being so crazy about today, but I love you so much, and if something happened to you, or something happened and we couldn’t be together anymore, I don’t know what I’d do with myself.” “Nothing could ever keep us apart”, the blonde said sternly, punctuating his statement with a kiss to the back of Hinata’s head.

Another silence fell upon the couple as they snuggled together, both hearts aching from the wounds they’d inflicted upon each other earlier that day.

As abruptly as he stopped talking, Hinata started once more several minutes later. “You don’t understand what it’s like to lose your whole family in less than a day”, the redhead said, voice shaking as he tried to hold back tears. “It just… destroys everything you thought you knew about life. I mean--”. Hinata sat up and turned to face the blonde, looking upon him in the little slivers of the streetlight that was cast through the blinds. “You get told your whole life, ‘family is important’, ‘family will always be there for you’, ‘no one will ever love you the way your family loves you’. And then, all of a sudden, they leave you and move across the country without a word, once they find _one thing_ they don’t like about you.” “Once they can no longer force you to be who they want you to be”, the blonde corrected. Hinata knew he was trying to help, but the truth of these words only hurt him more.

Kei sat up as well and pulled Hinata into him, holding the redhead as silent tears fell from his eyes. Hinata did not sob or cry out-- he’d done more than enough crying in general that day, and felt as if he quite possibly had reached his threshold for the tears he was capable of shedding on his family’s behalf.

It was some time before he spoke again. “...that’s why I don’t understand this whole thing with your dad, Kei”, Hinata admitted quietly. He felt the blonde’s body stiffen slightly, though Kei did his best to speak with a gentle tone. “...I’ve told you the story about my parents before. Dad cheated on Mom. Got some woman ten years younger than my mom pregnant. Tried to kick us out of our house. And then, when that didn’t work out, just… _left._ He broke Mom’s heart. He left when Akiteru needed him the most. He broke my family. I could never forgive someone who hurt the people I love like that.” “But”, protested the redhead, “wasn’t _he_ one of the people that you loved?”. After a moment, the blonde shook his head. “I wasn’t even 8. I hardly knew him. He was always at work. Or-- as I later learned-- with his other family. I ‘loved’ him because he was my dad-- not because I liked or respected who he was. I love my mom and I love Akiteru. But that man is no better than a stranger who sends me money to try to ease his own conscience.”

“So you’re _never_ gonna talk to him?”, asked Hinata, shifting so he could look at his boyfriend as they spoke. Tsukki shook his head. “Not if I can help it”, he replied, looking over towards the window. “But… what about our wedding? What about if we have kids some day? You don’t want him to be a part of our lives at all?”, Hinata frowned. Again Tsukki shook his head. “Definitely not. Our wedding will be a place for us to celebrate _love._ He doesn’t know the meaning of the word. He only does what’s convenient for him and his dick.” “But what about kids?”, insisted Hinata. Tsukki was growing frustrated. Hinata _knew_ how he felt; why was he pushing the envelope so aggressively tonight? “No”, the blonde said simply, “if we had children, I would not want them to ever know the man that abandoned their grandmother, uncle, and father. Who’s to say that he wouldn’t abandon _them?_ ” “But what about--” “Whatever it is, no.” “But, Kei, you’re not even listening, why don’t you--” “No. I don’t want to know him.”

Hinata turned his body completely and looked Tsukki in the eyes. “I really think you should talk to your dad. Especially since he’s actually _trying_ to have a relationship with you.” Tsukki was angry. His insides were burning up and he felt like he could vomit at any second. The entire day had just been _terrible,_ but Hinata seemed to have one goal in mind: making this night as bad as it possibly could be. “I don’t want to talk to him! Not after everything he’s done! Just drop it, Shōyō!”, the blonde found himself shouting. _Shouting. When was the last time he raised his voice? When was the last time he was backed into a corner like this?_ His stomach was tying itself into knots and he pushed himself up from the bed, desperate to escape what he was sure was another panic attack coming on.

Hinata was crying as he, too, stood. “I would give _anything_ to have a relationship with my dad!”, the redhead cried out, “And you have your dad _begging_ you to just _talk_ to him, and you’re refusing?! How could you be like that?!”. “I feel like you should have a better perspective on this than you do, considering that your dad is almost as big of a piece of shit as mine!”. Tsukki knew he crossed the line-- he would’ve known it even if Hinata hadn’t gasped sharply, as if he’d been struck by the blonde’s words. He would’ve known it even if the argument didn’t stop suddenly, with the redhead falling completely silent. But still, for some reason, his mind was telling him to double down on his statement, and he heard himself saying, “I mean, at least _my_ dad never punched someone I love-- and I _still_ don’t want to talk to him! So maybe you should take a minute and reconsider just how important that father/son relationship you want is!”.

 _‘No. Those words didn’t just come out of my mouth’,_ the blonde thought to himself, as all of reality seemed to spin away, _‘I would never say something so blunt to Shōyō. ...Shōyō… where’s Shōyō?’._ The room was spinning, blurring his entire existence, but even through this dazed vision he was pretty sure, as he slumped against a wall and felt hot tears beginning to stream down his face, that Hinata was no longer there with him.

The last word he was able to produce before falling into the third (and worst) panic attack of his life was: “...Shōyō?”

 


	18. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukki and Hinata find an excellent way to recover after their terrible fight.

“I’m really sorry, Shōyō”  
“It’s okay. I’m sorry too. We both said things we didn’t mean.”  
“Is that really how this is going to be, though? Are we just going to spend the rest of our lives slowly hurting each other?”  
“Well, yes. But we’ll also spend the rest of our lives loving each other, and helping each other heal from those hurts.”  
“...”  
“...”  
“.....Thank you, Shō.”  


Tsukishima and Hinata were curled around each other, completely intertwined as Thursday morning slowly drifted by. They were in recovery after their first big fight.

The fight had been ugly and gruesome, with both boys saying the things that were sure to hurt the other most. Tsukki had ultimately delivered the final blow when he cited Hinata’s failed relationship with his father, but as the words left the blonde’s mouth, he knew instantly that he’d gone too far. Hinata had stormed out, running to the bathroom and locking the door behind him where he could cry in peace, without Tsukki seeing how badly he’d wounded him. But those tears quickly faded when, across the apartment, he could hear Kei hyperventilating. He flew to his lover’s side, wrapping his arms around the lanky boy as his anxiety took over.

 _‘I don’t care what he said’,_ Hinata had thought to himself as he cradled the blonde in his arms, _‘There’s nothing he could say that would ever convince me to let him go through this by himself.’_ He cooed at the blonde and spoke gentle, loving words, and the moment Tsukki could stand, the two went to bed, where they _both_ cried themselves to sleep, together.  


Thursday morning found them reluctant to leave each other’s side. It would’ve been the same were they not in the process of recovering from massive wounds inflicted upon each other, as it was their first common day off in over a week.

Their kitten, Little Giant, periodically jumped onto the bed, inspecting the lumpy piles of flesh and making sure his owners were still alive before returning to his nonspecific cat duties.

It was nearly 1 o’clock when the grumbling of Hinata’s stomach forced the boys out of bed. “Let me take you on a date”, Tsukki said as he washed Hinata’s hair in the shower. “It’s the least I can do, after last night.” Hinata, who’d been leaning into the head massage he was getting, turned his head and frowned. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kei. Stop feeling so guilty.” “Well”, the blonde countered, “if nothing else, I ate at a restaurant more recently than you did. Let me take you out to eat.” _“Fine”,_ sighed Hinata, turning around and leaning into Tsukki’s touch once more.  


“Is there anything you’re in the mood for?”, Kei asked as the two walked down the street hand-in-hand. It was undeniable that what Hinata had experienced because of his family was downright awful, but Tsukki couldn’t help but selfishly feel a little bit grateful… after all, the two hadn’t been able to be seen publicly as a couple for the entirety of their relationship, as Hinata (justifiably) did not want their families to find out about them. It was nice to be able to be public about their feelings. And, sure, they might get the occasional strange glance from passing strangers, but that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Hinata lulled his head as he tried to think of _anything_ he was in the mood to eat, but ultimately came up empty handed. “Mmm”, he hummed as he tried to think, “...well, _you’re_ taking me on a date, so why don’t _you_ pick what we eat?”. Tsukki did not have to think very hard on this topic; he knew _exactly_ where he wanted to go on this date to help make amends with the person he loved most.

He didn’t tell the little redhead where they were headed-- instead he led him through the streets of their neighborhood in Sendai, until Hinata was completely sure that he had no idea where they were going. “Keiiiii”, the smaller boy whined, “How long until we’re there? I’m _starving.”_ “Not much longer”, Tsukishima grinned. Five minutes later, upon rounding a corner, Hinata suddenly gasped and covered his mouth. “ _Kei”,_ he exclaimed, threading his arm through Tsukki’s.

Before them stood the ramen restaurant that had played such a formative role in their relationship. It was where Tsukki had his first extended conversation with Hinata, and where Hinata had asked Kei on their first date (or at least, that was his intention, even if it wasn’t officially classified as a ‘date’). It was where Hinata first called Tsukki by his given name, and where the two first held hands. It held a lot of memories for them and though they ate there at least once every other month, the meaning and intention behind Kei’s choice meant the world to Hinata.

After they were seated and their orders were placed, one of the owners came over to chat with the two boys that she’d gotten to be so close to. “Tsukishima-kun! Hinata-kun! So good to see you both! It’s been quite some time-- a few months, at least! Is everything okay?”, chimed Amari, an older Japanese woman whose face was rarely vacant of a genuine and loving smile. “Oh, yes, everything’s going well”, Tsukki smiled pleasantly, “We’ve just been a bit busy. You see--” “--Kei and I got an apartment together!”, blurted Hinata, unable to contain his excitement. Tsukishima had introduced Hinata to the ramen shop’s owners, Amari- and Bunta-sama, on their unofficial first date, and though Amari always had a special place in her heart for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, Hinata was perhaps her absolute favorite customer. The two got along famously, and over the year and a half they’d known each other, they shared a lot of details about their lives, with Hinata often staying long after he’d finished eating just to chat.

At this proclamation, Amari gasped and clapped her hands together. “No kidding!”, she exclaimed, “An apartment?! At such a young age?! I’m so _happy_ for you boys! If Bunta or I can do _anything_ for you, just let us know! If you need a job, or if you can’t afford to pay for your meals, or anything at all-- don’t hesitate to come to us! You’re both practically our children at this point!”. Hinata smiled nervously. “I wish I knew you were hiring before I got the job I have now…”, he admitted, blushing slightly through his laughter. Tsukki studied his face and resolved to bring this back up at a later date (perhaps at a time when their relationship wasn’t so tender). “Oh?”, came the older woman’s voice as she pulled a chair over to the table, “Where are you working now?”. “I got a job through my guidance counselor at a coffee shop on Park Ave. It’s called The Daily Grind.” Amari thought for a moment before turning around in her chair. “Bunta, dear? Have you ever heard of a coffee place called The Daily Grind!” “Heard of it?”, asked the older man through the window to the kitchen, “Yeah, I heard of it! Never been there, but I heard of it!” “Hinata-kun got a job there! We should go visit him sometime!”, the older woman yelled back to her husband. “Sounds good! Best of luck, Hinata-kun!”, called the older man once more before disappearing out of sight. Amari turned back to the couple and folded her hands in her lap. “Well, that’s settled, then. Hinata-kun, before you leave make sure you give me your schedule, and Bunta and I will come see you.” Hinata beamed and nodded. Amari then turned her attention to the blonde, smiling softly and saying, “Now, I’m sure _you_ got a job, too, right? Somehow I can’t see you allowing Hinata-kun to work while you stay at home.” Before Tsukki could speak, Hinata interjected once more. “He got a job first!”, the redhead chimed, “He works at a bookshop a few blocks away!” Amari raised her eyebrows and asked, “Hayashi-san’s shop?”. Tsukki nodded, “Yes ma’am.” “Oh, how wonderful!”, Amari exclaimed, “Hayashi-san and Bunta are old friends. We practically raised our kids together. I’m sure they’ll be excellent employers!”. Tsukki smiled and nodded. “They really are wonderful people. I love working there.”

“So, boys, may I ask what convinced you two to move out on your own so soon? I mean, you both still have a whole year of high school to go…”. The look exchanged across the couple was more than enough to tell Amari that something terrible had happened. She gently placed her hand on Tsukki’s forearm and, smiling sadly, said, “Don’t worry about it, dear. You can always tell this old lady to ‘take a hike’ or whatever the expression you kids use is. I ask because I care, but I don’t want to make either of you uncomf--” “My dad found out about Kei and I”, Hinata blurted, shocking the older woman whose attention had been on Tsukki. The redhead continued on, feeling it appropriate to fill his friend in on their situation in full. By the end of the story, Amari had to grab a napkin off a nearby table to wipe her tears.

“I swear, I do not understand people”, she said, dabbing her tears from the corners of her eyes, “I just do not understand what’s so hard to get about _love._ Now, if you brought home some sort of _thug,_ well, even _I’d_ have to have a talk with you. But honestly, you are two of the nicest boys I have ever met-- and I’ve been alive a long time! Bunta and I don’t just go around adopting stray boys, but we love you two like you’re our own!” Hinata smiled sadly and Tsukki could tell that tears were imminent.

“Um-- but”, the blonde started, stumbling over his words as he tried to head off Hinata’s tears, “You forgot to tell Amari-sama the best part!” Suddenly Hinata looked up, his huge eyes glowing with joy as a massive grin spread from ear to ear. “Kei got me a cat for my birthday, and I named him Little Giant, and--” “Not _that,_ dumbass”, Tsukishima laughed as he reached across the table for his iced tea, “The other one. ...the bigger one.” It took a moment for Hinata to realize what Tsukki was referring to, but moments later his hand plunged down into the collar of his shirt. Moments later he pulled out a chain, and on that chain was-- “Kei asked me to marry him!”, Hinata exclaimed happily, pulling the necklace that bore his engagement ring up and over his head before handing it to the older woman so she could get a better look at it. “Oh my goodness…”, she exclaimed, marvelling at the ring in her fingertips. “Can I go show Bunta, dear?”, she asked, teary eyes looking up at Hinata, who immediately (and predictably) said, “Of course!”. The older woman disappeared into the kitchen and was gone for several minutes. When she came out it was clear she’d been crying. “Lunch is on the house, boys!”, she gleefully exclaimed as she returned to the table, “Please, eat your fill!” “Oh, no, that’s really not--”, Tsukki protested, only to be shut out by Amari once more. “No, no, sugar, we _insist._ Your money is no good here. I already told Bunta to squeeze as much meat in those bowls as he possibly can-- this calls for a celebration!”.

The generous couple completely gushed over Hinata and Tsukishima’s announcement and did their very best to make the boys lunch a special and memorable occasion, even if it was impromptu. Hinata swore that the ramen they had that day was the best he’d ever had, and though Tsukki wouldn’t admit it, he found it impossible to disagree. The boys ate until they were stuffed, and even then the older couple continued to put plates in front of them, which were eventually boxed up for the boys to take home.

As the two finally went to leave, after nearly three hours spent in the ramen shop, Tsukki and Hinata stood in the doorway and bowed, thanking the older couple for their kindness and generosity. Amari couldn’t restrain herself anymore and quickly threw her arms around Tsukishima before turning to Hinata. “Shōyō-kun”, she said as she pulled the smaller man into a big hug, “I know you’ve lost a lot recently. But in your darkest hours, I want you to remember that you are so very loved. I’ve seen firsthand that your friends love you, and I know without a doubt that Tsukishima-kun loves you. From everything you’ve said, it seems like his family loves you just as much, too. And don’t you forget that you have a family here, too. Bunta and I love both you boys, so if you ever need _anything,_ do not hesitate to call. You have our number.”

Hinata began thanking the older couple again, only to be cut off once more.

“I want you both to know that we are _so proud_ of you, and we are rooting for you every step of the way. As long as you both remember the love you have for one another at all times, you can get through anything. And I mean that. Bunta and I have been married for 48 years. The only way we’ve made it this far… is by remembering the love.”

Bunta stood behind his wife with his arms folded, nodding his own confirmation of the words she was speaking.

After several more “goodbye”s and “thank you”s, Hinata and Tsukishima managed to leave the ramen shop. As they started down the street, Bunta’s normally reserved voice called after them, “Oh, and we slipped a little something in with the leftovers! Our engagement gift to you! Congratulations, boys!”, before disappearing back into the shop as quickly as he exited.

“Oh boy”, Tsukishima sighed, looking down at the bag with knotted handles he was carrying, “I wonder what _this_ is gonna be…”. He looked at the bag for a moment before shaking his head. “Let’s go to the park and open it”, he suggested, smiling down at his small boyfriend, who, in turn, was eagerly grinning back up at him.

Tsukki navigated through town to yet another very important place to the couple. They wound up at the park that the two boys walked through on their first real date, and sat together on the bench that they shared their first kiss on.

The two sat there for several minutes in silence, just looking out over the lake before them, each lost in their own thoughts. Tsukki was the first to break this silence, as he leaned in and kissed Hinata deeply and passionately. When he finally pulled away, he smiled then rested his chin on top of Hinata’s head. “I’m sorry”, the blonde said quietly, “I’m just feeling really sentimental today.” “Me too”, grinned Hinata, taking Tsukishima’s hand in his own.

“Hey”, the redhead said after another long silence, “Do you remember what we did _after_ we sat here?”. Tsukki thought for a moment before a bright pink flooded his cheeks, revealing that, _yes,_ he did remember exactly what they did after they left the park on their first date. Noting the change in Tsukishima’s pallor, Hinata grinned, “You wanna go recreate that?”.

Tsukki smiled and kissed Hinata once more. As he pulled away, he replied, “No.” It was astonishingly curt and took Hinata by surprise. “W- what?”, the redhead asked, the smile quickly fading from his face. “No.”, Tsukki replied with a false air of coolness. After a brief pause, he continued, “No, I do not want to have dry sex in my mother’s house after kicking your ass in one on one. I’d much rather go home to _our_ apartment and ravage you completely.”

Now it was Hinata’s turn to blush. The redhead jumped up and extended his hand to Kei, who took it and stood up as well. Forgetting about the supposed gift for now, the two boys hurried home, leftovers in hand, eager to fulfill their carnal desires.

Both boys knew that they’d been having a very rough time lately. Relationships aren’t easy. But between the time they spent trying to repair that which had been broken, the trip they took down memory lane, and the loving and supportive words of Amari-san, the two were once again positive that they’d be able to face whatever life had to throw at them.

 


	19. Three Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three different perspectives of a Saturday morning.

Things had been rocky for a while between Hinata and Tsukishima, but after two consecutive days off together, a super romantic date, and endless snuggles, Hinata was feeling much better about their relationship. He knew that he’d been on edge lately after everything with his parents, and he also knew that he was unintentionally taking his frustrations out on the blonde, despite how much effort Tsukki went through to try to make him happy. After their last fight Hinata had resolved to try to control his emotions as best as he could, so that he wouldn’t keep hurting the man that he loved.

The redhead had been reluctant to leave his partner and go to work after the amazing time they’d had, but he somehow forced himself out of bed and headed out to his Saturday morning shift at The Daily Grind. As usual, the owner’s daughter, Kira, was on the same shift as Hinata. Over the course of his employment there, their relationship had grown from one of utter disinterest on Kira’s end to something that actually resembled a friendship. The redhead enjoyed talking with Kira more than any of his other coworkers (who, besides one other person, were all related to the owner). He found her brother Kaii to be a bit of a know-it-all, while her (much) older sister, Kana, brought her two kids with her every time she worked and expected Hinata-- who had little-to-no experience with babies-- to watch them. The other employee-- a lifelong friend of Kana’s-- worked the shifts opposite of Hinata, so he only ever saw her in passing.

Saturday mornings were an interesting time at the coffeeshop. Unlike weekdays, they tended to be busy later on in the morning, with people stopping in to get their fix steadily throughout the day as they went about their errands. With that being the case, the two employees didn’t really have much time to stop and chat, with each other or with customers. At one point in the afternoon, Saito had stopped in but Hinata was so buried in orders that he barely had the chance to acknowledge the grey-eyed man _or_ the friend he’d brought along with him. The two sat at the only empty table in the cafe, and though Hinata could feel his friend’s eyes on him, he simply didn’t have the time to stop and chat.

The redhead practically collapsed into a chair at quarter after two in the afternoon, once he was finally able to clock out. He leaned his head against the wall he was sitting next to and spent a few minutes just enjoying the sensation of finally being off of his feet before eventually turning his attention to the milk tea that Kira had brought over just after he sat down. “Stay put”, she’d said, “I get to clock out once my brother gets here”.

Hinata followed her order, although it was moreso because he was completely exhausted than anything else. At two thirty, Kaii walked through the front door, and within seconds Kira was seated across the table from the young redhead, her own latte in hand.

“Oh my god”, she gasped as she threw herself down, “this has been the Saturday from hell”. Hinata nodded, sipping on his tea. Kira smiled at the redhead before she began speaking again. “But, I have to say… you and I make a great team.” “Well”, shrugged Hinata, “You do the hard stuff. I can’t really take too much credit.” “ _‘I’_ do the hard stuff?!”, she exclaimed, apparent disbelief written across her face, “No way. _You_ do the hard stuff. All I do is take the orders. You’re the one actually _making_ them.” Hinata shrugged once more. “Yeah, but you have to remember what every number on the menu is, _and_ you have to write down all their orders while they’re listing off all the crazy changes and additions they want with each drink.” Kira’s smile grew wider. “I never thought about it like that!”, she said, beaming proudly as she took another sip of her coffee.

After a moment, her smile faded to a frown. “It’s sad that we didn’t get to talk to Saito-san or his friend today”, she lamented, gazing wistfully across the small cafe. Hinata nodded. “Yep, he’s always fun to talk to. It was just so busy…” “He asked about you, you know”, Kira said, leaning back in her chair. Hinata cocked his head slightly and asked, “He did?”. The young woman nodded. “Mmhmm! Both days you were out, he asked where you were.” “Oh”, Hinata replied. He wasn’t entirely sure what else to say on the matter.

“You know…”, Kira started, her voice suddenly dropping lower as she leaned on the table on her elbows, “...yesterday he said that you and I made a great couple.” Kira started to laugh loudly, waving her hand dramatically as she continued, “I had to tell him that we weren’t dating! He’s so silly sometimes!”

The young woman paused and waited for a response from Hinata, but after ten seconds of silence, continued on. “I mean, if I’m being honest, I don’t have a boyfriend right now. My last boyfriend and I broke up right before graduation, which was-- _ugh--_ so lame. So I mean, if you wanted, we co--”

Kira was interrupted by the sharp buzzing that came from the redhead’s phone, which was sitting on the table. Hinata looked down to it then, picking it up, looked up to Kira. “Excuse me for one second, I’m sorry”, he muttered before answering the call.

“Hello? … … … yeah, I’m still at work. ...mmhmm. Yep, I can do that! Okey dokey, see you soon!”. With that, Hinata ended the call and tucked his phone in his pocket. “I’m sorry to be so rude”, he said, smiling gently at the older woman, “but I actually have to get going.” Kira frowned and folded her arms. “Oh, was that your girlfriend?”, she asked disdainfully, looking away from the redhead once more. Hinata shook his head. “Nope, I don’t have a girlfriend. That was my b-- uh-- my roommate.” He grabbed his drink and, dashing to the door, called, “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See ya!”, Kira happily yelled back, before turning back to the table and sulking. “Well that went poorly”, her brother jeered across the counter. “Hey! Shut up! Who asked you?!”, she demanded.

 

\---

 

Kei was disappointed to wake up alone for the first time in three days. The last two had been spent entirely with Hinata, and he was really relieved to feel like their relationship was back on track. Still, both boys had to return to work-- a sad reality that Kei lamented as he trudged off to his own place of employment. ‘ _Still’,_ he thought, _‘what was with his comment to Amari-san the other day? He said he wished he’d known that they were hiring… does that mean he’s having trouble at his own job?’_ Kei had wanted to bring this up with his boyfriend but hadn’t felt that the moment was ‘right’ yet. He didn’t want to say another word that might hurt the boy that he loved, and though he resolved to wait until he felt it would be appropriate to discuss this with Hinata, the comment was never far from his mind.

He was working another fairly short shift-- 10:30 to 2:30-- though he’d been warned that he would be manning the shop on his own, as Hayashi-san had to take his wife to a doctor’s appointment. Tsukki had never been left entirely in charge of the store, and while he knew every facet of the job, he was still quite concerned that he’d find a way to screw up in the time that he was left alone.

His boss greeted him with a broad smile when he entered the bookstore. “Thank you so much, Tsukishima-kun!”, the old man said, stretching out his hand as he spoke, “Without you, we would’ve had to close shop for the day! Hiring you was the best decision I’ve ever made!” Tsukki took the older man’s hand in his. The blonde smiled and shook his head, “You flatter me, sir”. He was shocked when, upon pulling away, he found a set of keys in his palm.

“Not at all!”, laughed the older man, “Now, those are your keys to this shop from now on. If you ever need to open or close up shop, you’ve got your very own set. I’ve also left my cell number on the register in case you need anything. I doubt you will-- it seems like you can do just about any task I give you-- but I know how daunting it can be to be given a new responsibility.” “I won’t let you down!”, the blonde grinned, staring at the keys in his hand. With a pat on the shoulder, Hayashi-san smiled and said, “I know you won’t.”

All things considered, it had been pretty quiet for a Saturday afternoon. _‘It_ _is_ _pretty hot out’,_ Tsukki thought to himself, _‘Maybe everyone decided to stay home. Or maybe they went to the beach.’_ As if on cue, the bell above the door rang out, letting the blonde-- who’d busied himself stocking the shelves nearest the register-- know that a customer had arrived. In the front doorway stood his most regular customer, Saito, accompanied by someone the blonde didn’t recognize.

“Good afternoon!”, Tsukki called out, waving over to the two men. “Oh, Tsukishima-kun!”, beamed the auburn-haired man as he strode over to where Kei had taken his place behind his register, “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a few days!”. Tsukki smiled softly. “I was actually off the last couple of days”, he said politely. Saito scowled and, drumming his fingers on the counter, said, “You were _off_ and didn’t even invite me to lunch?!”. Tsukki laughed and, rubbing the back of his head, replied, “I’m sorry-- it’s just, my partner and I finally had some much-needed time off together. We mostly just hung out around the house, to be honest.” “Yeah, yeah”, frowned Saito, “But seriously, if you don’t take me up on my offer soon, I’m gonna start asking around on your days off.” Tsukki grinned and nodded. “I understand-- I promise I’ll let you know the next time I’m free.” With one more glare, Saito said, _“You’d better”._

 _“Anyway_ ”, the grey-eyed man started, gesturing to his left, “Tsukishima-kun, I’d like you to meet my editor, Tatsumi! I might write the ideas out, but without Tatsumi-san here, my writing would never make it to the publishing house. Tatsumi, this is Tsukishima-kun!”. The man to Saito’s left had a stern face as he thrust out a business-like hand. Tsukki took it and shook it politely before retracting his hand to his own side. “It’s nice to meet you”, said Tatsumi-san, in a manner that sounded precisely as professional as his face looked. “Same to you”, smiled the blonde politely.

Turning back to Saito, Tsukishima put on his best customer service smile and asked, “So, Sai-- _Takeshi-san,_ is there anything I can help you with today?”. “Yeah”, frowned the auburn-haired man, “Stop appending ‘-san’ to the end of my name. You’re making me feel old.” The blonde smiled politely. “I’m sorry, it’s just a force of habit. You _are_ a customer here, after all.” Saito rolled his eyes before turning around. “I’m looking for a reference text on middle eastern architecture during the renaissance era. Would you guys happen to have something like that?” Tsukishima thought on this for a long moment before leading Saito to the place where he figured a book of that sort would most likely be. After a little bit of digging it became clear that the only book that was anything like what Saito was looking for was a book on contemporary Egyptian-style architecture. The older man frowned for a long time at the book before springing up and sighing, _“Fine,_ we’ll take it. But I guess this means we’re gonna have to trek out to Tokyo’s library and see if they have what I’m looking for…” “Are you sure this book even exists?”, asked the editor, frowning deeply as it became apparent that Saito was expecting him to pay. “Not really”, shrugged Saito, “but I _loathe_ historical inaccuracies, especially when they’re in my own novels.” The editor remained quiet and shook his head as he completed the transaction with the credit card machine.

“It says here”, started Tsukki, squinting at the computer to his right, “That there are three different titles on this particular subject. I can order them for you, if you’d like, but it’s gonna take up to five days for them to get here…”. Saito’s face lit up, but Tatsumi immediately interjected. “No, thank you”, frowned the older man, “ _Someone_ is already four days past his deadline. An extension like that would practically _guarantee_ that we’ll miss the actual publishing deadline and will have to renegotiate……. No. Thank you, though, Tsukishima-kun. We’ll head out to Tokyo immediately.”

“Good luck!”, the blonde called after the pair as they walked out of the shop. “Remember what I said!”, Saito called back, at which point Tatsumi grabbed him by the wrist and proceeded to drag him towards the door, “If you don’t let me know when you’re free, I’m gonna find out mysel-- _agh!--_ Sumi-chan, let _go!”_

Tsukishima spent the rest of his shift in a similar manner, only breaking from restocking when a customer was present. He’d begun to worry when Hayashi-san hadn’t returned at 2:30, and seriously considered calling him to make sure that everything was okay by 2:40, but was ultimately relieved when the older couple walked in at quarter to three. “I’m so sorry we’re late, Tsukishima-kun”, frowned the older man, “Those waiting room times can be absolutely ridiculous sometimes!” After digging in his pocket for a moment, the older man pulled out a crisp ¥2000 bill and handed it to the blonde. “Here-- consider it your overtime!” Tsukki waved dismissively. “Oh, no-- thank you, though! It was only 15 minutes! It definitely wasn’t--” “Take it”, encouraged the older woman, “As our thanks to you. We’re so grateful to have someone so reliable. We know you wouldn’t have _asked_ for the extra money, and that’s another reason we treasure you so much!” After much internal debate, Tsukki finally pocketed the bill. “Thank you”, he said, smiling gently.

After a little more chitchat, the blonde left the store, quickly calling his boyfriend. “Hey”, he said gently when Hinata had answered the phone, “You okay? Where are you? ….well, I was thinking that maybe you could grab some dinner on your way home. I’m really craving a tempura bowl from that place down the street from you. ...Sounds good. ...Alright, see ya”.

With that, the blonde continued on home, eager to spend some more time with the boy he loved so much.

 

\---

  
“So what you’re telling me is… you’re planning on breaking up a couple of _kids_ so you can go after a high schooler?”

Saito scowled at his friend. “What kind of friend are you? You’re literally painting me in the worst possible light.” “To be honest”, frowned Tatsumi, “there aren’t many other ways to frame your intentions here. I mean… don’t you feel a little… _creepy?”._

Saito folded his arms in a huff. “I don’t see what’s so creepy about it”, he said, frowning deeply.  “Takeshi”, the businessman said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, “you’re trying to _break up a relationship_ so you can try to woo someone _you can’t even legally sleep with.”_ The auburn-haired man scowled. “He’ll be 18 soon enough.” “I find it concerning that you know that.”

Tatsumi sighed and shook his head before taking another sip of his coffee. “I just don’t understand why you can’t date someone your own age. There are plenty of guys who would love to get to know you… why don’t you try speed dating? Or make a dating profile online? I know plenty of people who have--” “I don’t want to”, Saito sulked, “I want Tsukishima. He’s basically my dream guy. He’s tall, brilliant, extremely handsome, polite, well-spoken…” “...in a relationship already, underage, in high school…”.

“But you’re not focusing on the important part here”, Saito frowned. “Oh? I assumed his _being a minor_ was the important part.” “No.” Saito took a deep breath before continuing. “You _know_ I’ve lived all over Japan, and even spent some time in America and England before settling down here. And not _once_ have I had such engaging conversation with such an attractive man. It seems like every other man I’m into is so seriously _vapid._ Tsukishima is not only smart, but he’s witty, he’s snarky, and-- like I’ve said-- he’s super attractive. I mean, the truth is, I _don’t_ feel bad about trying to break them up. High school relationships never last. _I_ can take care of him. _I_ can help him achieve his dreams. That little twerp he’s with seems like nothing more than an albatross.”

“Whether that’s the case or not, that’s not your decision to make. Tsukishima-kun is the only person-- outside of his boyfriend-- who can make a decision about his relationship. You can’t _say_ whether it’s going to work out or not, because you don’t know them.” “Actually…”, started Saito, only to earn a severe look of disapproval from his friend, “...I _mayyy_ have gotten to know Hinata-kun since he got his first job…”. “You are literally the worst, you know this, right?”, Tatsumi asked, shaking his head in disappointment. Saito shrugged before springing up from the park bench he’d been seated on. “What do you say? You wanna go meet them?”, he asked, grinning and extending a hand to the older man. Tatsumi pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing, “I don’t suppose you’re going to let me say no, are you?”

 


	20. The Seeds of Discord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata is stuck working while Tsukishima is finally talked into going to lunch with Saito.

Hinata Shōyō sat slumped at a table with his head cradled in his hands; he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. Today he was working with the eldest daughter of his boss, who always brought her children in when she worked, and always stuck Hinata with babysitting duties. Hinata did not know the first thing about childcare, a fact he often reiterated as Kana pushed the diaper bag off on him and nodded to a table in the corner. “It’s fine!”, she’d say, waving a dismissive hand, “Babies are _easy-- especially_ my babies! Just go sit at the table and color, don’t even worry about the coffee stuff, I’ll handle that for you!”. And as Hinata trudged off with a two year old on his hip, he’d mutter, _“Gee, thanks.”_

It wasn’t that he disliked children; in fact, he actually loved playing with kids, and kids seemed to naturally gravitate towards him. Hinata just didn’t appreciate being forced to babysit instead of doing the job he was being paid to do. He could only imagine what Mr. Matsuki would say if he walked in and saw Hinata sitting at a table and coloring instead of doing his actual job.

“Nii-san, Nii-san, look at this!”, cried the older of the two children, a bright-eyed, impeccably dressed four year old as he held up his paper with scribblings of all sorts of colors on it, “I drew you and me goin’ on a slide!”. Hinata picked up his head and smiled broadly before rustling the young boy’s hair and exclaiming, “Nice job, Nao-kun! That looks just like us!”. The young boy beamed as he ran to show his mother the drawing. Across the table, a pudgy two year old girl with little wisps of black hair was slamming her dolly into the tray of her high chair. “That’s nice, dear, now go back and sit with Nii-san, Mommy has to work”, Hinata heard from the other side of the small cafe. He sighed and placed his head in his hands once more; he was _not_ in the mood for this today.

He usually worked the morning shifts and was surprised when he saw that he was scheduled to work from 12pm to 6pm-- when the shop closed. Kira then explained that she had to go register for classes and buy her books that day, so just to be safe her dad gave her the whole day off. And, while Hinata had only been at work for nearly an hour at that point, he was feeling pretty annoyed, between his change in responsibilities whenever Kana was around and the frustrating conversation he’d had with Kei earlier that day.

As he was literally walking out the front door, Tsukki had run up and hugged him, holding him tightly and only stopping when Hinata squeaked out, “I’m gonna be late!”. Tsukki frowned as he released his grip on the shorter man. “I know”, he said demurely, “I’m just gonna miss you. Oh, and by the way, I have to go out to lunch today with one of our clients.” “Since when?”, Hinata demanded, frowning at the sudden, poorly-timed revelation. The blonde shrugged, “They texted when you were in the shower.” Hinata frowned even deeper at this and, turning to leave, said, “I really have to go, but you and I have to talk about this.”

As he walked, the redhead pulled out his phone and began texting his boyfriend.

 **Shōyō ♡ (11:41am):** so i guess 1st of all, y dus ur custmer have ur #???  
**Shōyō ♡ (11:49am):** hello??????

  
It wasn’t until he was babysitting that his phone went off.

  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:12pm):** omg  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:12pm):** I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you meant you wanted to talk immediately  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:13pm):** the customer has my number because theyre our biggest customer and I make a lot of deliveries for them

Hinata frowned at his phone, feeling that this reasoning did not adequately explain anything.

 **Shōyō ♡ (12:16pm):** so y dus that mean u have 2 go 2 lunch w/ them?  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:17pm):** honestly i dont really know  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:19pm):** he’s been asking for a while and it’s gotten to the point where if I don’t just suck it up and go, it’ll hurt the store  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:30pm):** Are you mad at me?  
**Shōyō ♡ (12:33pm):** a little tbh  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:34pm):** Do you want me to drop by and see you before I go?  
**Shōyō ♡ (12:36pm):** no its fine. We can talk l8r. Have fun.  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (12:37pm):** I won’t lol. I mean, it’s basically unpaid work. But I’ll text you when I’m done.

Hinata wasn’t happy about this, but tried his best to enjoy his time with his coworker’s children. It actually wound up taking his mind off of things for nearly an hour, at which point a familiar face joined him at his table.

“Hey”, flashed a dazzling smile, while the light of the midday sun danced across steel-grey eyes, “‘you a babysitter now?”. Hinata looked up and found himself grinning inexplicably himself. “Ah-- um-- yeah, pretty much”, the young redhead stammered, blushing slightly as he spoke. “Great!”, Saito smirked, “I have a niece I could bring over!”. At this Hinata’s smile quickly faded into a frown. “Um-- well-- I-- I’m not really--” “Relax”, grinned the older man, “I was joking. And, for the record, I’m actually an only child, so-- no niece, either.” Hinata simpered before turning his attention back to the baby he’d moved next to. As he spread a handful of cheerios across her tray, he said, “So, how have you been? I haven’t seen you around lately…”. Saito grinned and asked, “Me? Or the baby?”. Casting a smile over his shoulder, Hinata laughed, “You, silly.” “I’ve been good”, Saito shrugged as he took a sip of his coffee, “How bout you?”. “I’ve been okay”, Hinata said, forcing a smile as he spoke. The older man, however, was not buying it. He leaned forward, propping his elbows up on the table, and, casting a glance to the two small children on either side of him, said, “Really? You look like something’s bothering you.” Hinata allowed the smile to fade from his face, though his cheeks flushed once more in embarrassment. “O- oh, do I?”, he asked, turning back to the baby before his face had the opportunity to betray any more of his emotions. Saito nodded. “I’ve been here almost every day since before you’ve started working, and we’ve had our fair share of chats. I think I’ve gotten to know you well enough to know when something’s wrong. You know you can talk to me, right?”

Hinata frowned for a moment, staring off into space as the baby pulled on his hair. When he shook himself out of it, he simpered once more and shrugged, “I guess I’m just a little annoyed. My bo-- my _best_ friend is going out to lunch with one of his customers, and I only just found out after I got to work.” Saito raised an eyebrow. “...I’m sorry, I’m not really seeing what the problem here is...” Hinata frowned again. “Well-- it’s just-- we do everything together, I guess, and-- uh-- I… I don’t want him to find another friend he likes more than me.” The older man folded his arms and, with a great amount of effort, held back his smile. “Maybe your buddy got a date”, he suggested nonchalantly, “And didn’t want to tell you about it until he was sure how it was gonna go.” “That’s what I’m afraid of…”, Hinata frowned, his voice low as he spoke. Again Saito shrugged. “You should be happy for your friend, then! I’m sure you’ll still see each other, even if he gets a girlfriend. I mean, you _said_ you’re best friends, right?”. “Yeah…”, Hinata frowned, “...I guess.”

Saito took another sip of his coffee, then tilted his wrist to him. “Oh, geez, look at the time!”, he exclaimed, “It’s almost 1. I gotta get going.” Hinata looked up from the little girl he was feeding, nodded, and grabbed another handful of cereal. “Thanks for stopping by”, Hinata said sadly, though upon realizing his tone, he perked up a little bit, plastering on a fake smile and adding, “It’s always great to see you!”. Saito stood and smiled softly. “Try not to worry so much”, he said gently, “I’m sure it’ll all work out.” The auburn-haired man then turned and smiled at the young boy, who immediately burst into tears. Saito’s face fell and, for a fraction of a second, a brief look that Hinata couldn’t quite place flashed through his eyes before immediately being replaced by his usual, cool grin. “Alright, I’ll see ya”, Saito said. As he rounded the table towards the door, he stopped briefly and tousled Hinata’s golden locks. The younger man looked up at him, confused, before blushing slightly and smiling, “See ya!”. “Enjoy babysitting”, Saito called with a wave before throwing out his cup and leaving the cafe.

Hinata turned his attention back to Nao, who was still hysterical, though he couldn’t shake Saito’s words from his mind. _Could_ Tsukki be going out with someone that he liked better than Hinata? Hinata trusted his boyfriend, but at the same time… things _had_ been stressful at home lately. He knew he’d been taking out his pain and frustration on Kei, and though things had been better for the last week or so, he knew it couldn’t be easy on Tsukki. But still… was it possible that he was actually looking to leave Hinata?

The redhead did his best to keep his mind on the children he was watching, but a dark cloud hung over him as he waited and hoped to hear from Kei.

\---

Tsukishima Kei stood nervously at the entrance to the a restaurant that was eerily similar to the one he’d been to with his aunt almost a week earlier. He was, once again, dressed nicely, his hands thrust as deeply into his pockets as they could go. He was nervous, and wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to be there in the first place.

He’d gotten up earlier than usual (for a day off, that is) that morning so he could see Hinata off. He felt bad that the redhead had work and he didn’t, and had planned to make dinner so that Hinata could have something nice to come home to. Unfortunately, as the smaller man showered, Kei’s phone went off, effectively spoiling his plans.

 **Takeshi (work)** (11:20am): Hey! I just stopped in the store and found out that you have the day off today! Let me take you to lunch!  
**Takeshi (work)** (11:24am): You promised you’d let me know when you were free!

Tsukki frowned at his phone. He didn’t _want_ to go out with Saito, but he also didn’t want to offend him and possibly lose his business. He flopped backwards on the bed as he listlessly weighed the pros and cons of going. He’d just about resolved to stay home when he received a third text message, reading:

 **Takeshi (work)** (11:31am): I’ll meet you at Maison Blanche at 1 pm, my treat. I want to show you what REAL French food is like.  
**Takeshi (work)** (11:32am): oh, my phone’s dying, ill cya there  
**Takeshi (work)** (11:32am): you better show up lol!

He sighed heavily and tossed his phone across the bed, and as he slowly sat up, he couldn’t help but feel that he _really_ needed to figure out a way to set up boundaries between work and home.

His head shot up when the bathroom door swung open, and a red-orange blur zoomed through the living room, past the bedroom door. Tsukki stood and crossed the room, only to see Hinata rush towards the front door. The smaller man crouched down and pulled on his shoes, and the moment he stood, Kei, who’d quickly but quietly approached him, pressed his chest to Hinata’s back and wrapped his arms around the redhead.

“Kei”, Hinata whined, “I’m gonna be late!”. The blonde couldn’t hide his frown as he dejectedly pulled away from Hinata. “I know”, he sighed, “I’m just gonna miss you.” Kei paused as he watched Hinata adjusted his bag on his shoulders. When the redhead reached out for the doorknob, Tsukki suddenly remembered: “Oh! By the way, I have to go out to lunch today with one of our clients.” Hinata paused in the threshold, then, looking over his shoulder, asked, “Since when?”. The blonde shrugged, “They texted when you were in the shower.” Hinata frowned even deeper at this and, turning to leave, said, “I really have to go, but you and I have to talk about this.”

\---

Kei had been at Maison Blanche for ten minutes by the time a familiar voice called out to him. “Tsukishima!”, giddily exclaimed a voice just after the front door swung open. The blonde snapped his head in the direction of the sound; Saito was fast approaching him, impeccably dressed and beaming as he waved. “I’m so sorry”, Saito exclaimed breathlessly, “Did you wait long?”. Tsukki shook his head. “Not at all”, he lied, smiling politely, “I only just got here myself.” “Oh, wonderful!”, Saito grinned, before spinning on his heel and waving to the maitre'd. A tall man with a thick, grey mustache bowed and said, “Good Afternoon, Saito-san, sir. Your table is ready for you”.

The two followed the man towards the back of the busy restaurant, where a single empty table sat in front of a large picture window with an absolutely breathtaking view of the east side of Sendai. Kei actually stopped walking, overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty before him, until Saito cleared his throat expectantly. When the blonde looked up, he noticed that the maitre’d was standing beside a chair, clearly waiting to push it in for the person sitting in it. “Oh!”, Tsukki exclaimed, “I’m sorry!”. He quickly took his seat, appraising the table setting as he carefully spread his cloth napkin across his lap. He was once again overwhelmed by how utterly _exquisite_ everything was, and couldn’t help but stare at each and every impeccable detail, trying to take them in one by one. He knew that he was very privileged to be able to go to such fine restaurants when most of his contemporaries probably wouldn’t even _dream_ of entering such places. His eyes and mind wandered, until he heard, “Yes, we’ll take the 2009 Chateau Domini, thank you.” He looked up and the auburn-haired man--whose hair was impeccably tousled in a notably different style than usual-- closed a small menu. Tsukki quickly raised his hand. “Oh-- um”, he blurted hastily, “I’m actually a minor, so, just water for me, thank you.” Saito scrunched his nose, and as the waiter wandered off, the older man leaned across the table. “You know, Tsukishima, they wouldn’t have questioned it, had you wanted to have a drink”, he half-whispered, sitting back in his chair once he was done speaking. Tsukki smiled and waved dismissively. “Oh, no-- thank you very much, but I don’t drink.” “You don’t?”, asked Saito, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, “Didn’t I see you drinking at A Toute Heure last week?”. Tsukki rubbed the back of his head nervously and, smiling, replied, “Well… yes. That was actually my first time and, for now, my last time.” “Oh?” “Yes. It-- uh-- caused some problems at home.” _“Oh?”,_ repeated Saito, this time quite intrigued by what the blonde had to say.

Tsukki blushed slightly as he nodded. “This is really embarrassing, but apparently I was pretty drunk by the time my-- uh, _partner--_ got home. It seems I made a few less-than-classy phone calls to my best friend and my mom, and then hit on my partner pretty aggressively. We talked about it and decided that we’ll both hold off until it’s legal, and maybe by then I’ll be able to pace myself better and understand just how much I can tolerate before it becomes-- er-- _problematic.”_ “That’s a shame”, sighed Saito, casting a wistful glance over the beautiful scenery below, “I found your openness the other day to be rather _fun.”_ At this, Tsukishima’s flush grew several shades darker. Turning back to the younger man, Saito hummed, “Although, it is an _absolute shame_ that you’re with someone who would limit you like that. Wine, alcohol, what-have-you… they’re excellent means of getting to know one’s self.” Tsukishima frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”, he asked, feeling his face grow hotter as he became more and more aware of the age gap between them. “Well”, Saito started, leaning back in his chair once more and crossing one leg over the other, “I’ve lived all around the world. I’ve gotten to experience many, many things. And the one thing I’ve taken from all of my experiences with altered states of consciousness is that there is no better way to understand your own deepest desires, thoughts, and intentions, than to tap into them when you are completely uninhibited.” Through a small giggle, Tsukki asked, “I take it you drink a lot then?”. Though it was a joke, Saito couldn’t help but frown; this lunch was _not_ going the way he’d hoped. “Not a lot, no. Only on special occasions, really”, he sighed, as the waiter approached the table with the bottle he’d ordered. Tsukki raised an eyebrow. “Special occasions? What is the special occasion now?”. Raising his glass to the blonde, Saito flashed a brilliant smile and said, “I finally got you to come to lunch with me! What better reason could there be?”. Kei looked down and, smiling softly, mumbled, “You flatter me…”. The grey-eyed man scoffed. “ _You_ clearly underestimate my desperation for good company and conversation!”

Tsukishima smiled once more, reaching for his glass of water and bringing it to his lips. As he took a sip, he looked out over eastern Sendai and couldn’t help but think about Hinata. He’d said that he was mad at Tsukki; would he be mad by the time he got home? Just how mad was he? And, most importantly, what about this luncheon had upset him the way it did? If Hinata had a client who single-handedly paid his paycheck, Kei would understand if _he_ went to lunch with said client… so why couldn’t Hinata see things from his perspective?

Tsukki practically jumped when his name was called and, upon turning his head, noticed that Saito was frowning. “Is everything okay?”, the older man asked, though he was pretty sure he could surmise where the blonde was mentally, “You seem to be spacing out quite a bit today.” “Oh, no, I’m sorry!”, Kei exclaimed, bowing his head slightly in remorse, “It’s just-- this is such a beautiful view! And, uh-- well-- I don’t get to see things like this often!”. Tsukki felt bad lying, but he wasn’t about to ruin his customer’s luncheon-- that the customer was paying for-- by venting about his relationship problems. Saito frowned, knowing full well that the blonde was lying to him, before a coy smile crossed his lips. “You should go out with me more often. My career’s been doing pretty well lately, and I’d be more than happy to treat you to some of the finest that Japan has to offer, in exchange for your company.” Tsukishima smiled but shook his head, “Once again, you flatter me.” “And once again, you underestimate how much I appreciate the quality and depth of conversations we’ve had.”

With one more glance out the window, Kei resolved to put his worries regarding his relationship to the side and actually be present for the meal he was being treated to; after all, the main reason Saito wanted to see him was their conversation, right? He reasoned that, since he would do his best to find a way to erect a divide between his work life and his private life, and that this might be his last off-the-clock meeting with Saito, he might as well enjoy it. He could-- and likely would-- deal with Hinata's frustrations later.

 

 


	21. Discord Sprouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima's lunch with Saito takes an interesting turn, and Hinata is _not_ happy about it.

Tsukishima Kei wearily entered his apartment just after 7 o’clock that evening. What had started with the simple intention of going to a luncheon with a client of his had turned into so, so much more.

Saito had, in fact, been begging Tsukki to go out with him to lunch for several weeks at this point and, though Tsukki _really_ didn’t care to go, and though it seemed to upset Hinata, he was put in a position where he didn’t have much of a choice. The luncheon itself had been pleasant. Tsukki and Saito discussed all sorts of cultured topics, from art and music to current events. Saito was in the middle of describing the basic plot of his newest publication (of which he’d generously given Tsukki an autographed copy) when his phone began ringing relentlessly. The older man excused himself to take the call, leaving Tsukki to ponder his own situation as he gazed out the gorgeous picture window he was seated next to. It was almost five minutes before Saito returned, wearing a deep grimace.

“Is everything okay?”, the blonde asked politely, unsure of what the proper reaction in this sort of scenario would be. Saito threw himself in his seat and sighed deeply. “That was my editor”, he said, frowning at his phone once more before shoving it in his jacket’s breast pocket, “He just called to let me know that he’s really sick. The problem is, I have this book signing I have to do at 4, but… I can’t exactly go by myself…” “Why not?”, Tsukki asked innocently as he began working on the fancy dinner Saito had ordered for him. “Because, it’s-- it’s--”, Saito snorted before continuing, “it’s _classless._ The publishing company assigns me an editor so that I don’t _have_ to deal with the minutia in situations like this. I mean, it’s not like it’s difficult-- a _kid_ could do it. All someone has to do is find the manager of the store, say, ‘hey, the author’s here, where do you want us to set up?’, and make sure that I have enough books on hand. I mean, _really._ Even if he _is_ sick, I doubt he’s too sick to do something as simple as this job…”. Saito downed his glass of aged wine and contemplated the empty vessel for a moment before his head snapped back up; his eyes glowed brightly as they fixed on Tsukki.

“Tsukishima-kun”, he said quietly, as if the realization was hitting him then and there, “... _Tsukishima-kun!_ You-- _You_ can do this job! I mean-- the publishing house will pay you, and pay you well, I’m sure, after I’m through with them! And-- hey-- this might even get your foot in the door career-wise! You _did_ say that you wanted to work in literature once you graduated, right? What do you say? Will you do this _major favor_ for me?”.

The blonde frowned deeply. He _didn’t_ want to do it. He didn’t want to do _anything_ besides go home and cook Hinata dinner. But the more he thought on it, the more he realized that he had absolutely zero excuse why he couldn’t go. Hinata would be at work until 6, so he wasn’t a viable excuse. He _obviously_ didn’t have work, so that wouldn’t help. He _could_ say that he had to help his mom with such-and-such, but what if Saito offered to help? Then he’d have to reveal that he was lying just to try to get out of--

“You don’t have to do it”, laughed the older man, sipping his wine as he watched the clear inner turmoil seated across the table from him, “If you don’t want to, just say so. I’d never force a _friend_ of mine into a situation they’re not comfortable with.” Saito took another forkful of the lobster he’d ordered and dipped it in butter. Tsukishima panicked slightly and, waving his hands dismissively, said, “Oh-- uh-- no, it’s not that-- it’s totally fine, I’d be happy to do it-- I was just trying to remember if I was supposed to help my mom today or tomorrow, but it’s tomorrow so we’re all good!”. Saito smirked across the table as Tsukki quickly stood. “Um-- would you excuse me for a moment? I just need to use the restroom.” “Of course”, the older man grinned, “take your time”.

Tsukki hurried to the bathroom, where, after quickly splashing some water on his face, he pulled out his phone.

 **Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (1:52pm):** hey, so its kinda a complicated situation, but my customer has asked me to do a major favor for him. I’m gonna be paid for it, and it might even help me get a job in the future. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (1:53pm):** it looks like I’ll still get home before you, but I didn’t want you to worry in case it ran late or anything. I love you and I’ll see you later.

He waited around a few minutes before heading back out to the table. The blonde had been hoping that Hinata might respond, but couldn’t be surprised that he hadn’t; after all, Hinata was in the middle of work himself, and neither boy was too sure of what to expect from the change in shift.

Tsukishima quietly slid himself into his seat at the table; Saito was on the phone, though as soon as he noticed the blonde, he quickly excused himself from his call. “Yep, uh-huh-- oh, he’s back. … yep, okay… sounds good… talk to you later”. He quickly ended his call and tucked his phone into his pocket before turning back to his lunch date. “That was the president of the publishing house”, he said, a shit eating grin spread across his face. “Oh?”, Tsukki asked, unsure of how he should be responding to this announcement. “Yes”, the older man said, grin ever spreading, “I explained the situation. And he is prepared to offer you ¥850000 if you can do this for me today.”

Tsukki dropped his fork.

It wasn’t intentional and he didn’t mean to react in such a dramatic fashion, but still… ¥850000… to more or less hang out with Saito and make sure his signing goes well? That was more money than he’d make in over half a year at his part time job!

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’?”, Saito grinned at the gaping man in front of him. Realizing his expression, Tsukki slowly closed his mouth. “I-- uh-- well, I already said I’d be happy to help! ...but… are you _sure_ they said _¥850000?”_ Saito chuckled and took a sip of his wine. “Yes”, he laughed, “I _am._ That’s about what Tatsumi-san makes per gig. They saw no problem transferring his wages to you.” Tsukki gaped, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to speak and failed time and time again. Finally he found his words, when he gasped, “If _I_ was making that much, I don’t care _how_ sick I felt-- I’d be there!”. Saito nodded happily. “You’d think so, right? I’m sure Sumi-san has to be feeling terrible.”

“So what, exactly, am I expected to be doing?”, Kei managed to ask after his heart finally stopped pounding. “Oh, not much, really”, Saito smiled, drumming his fingers on the white tablecloth. He held up his wrist and checked his watch before turning back to Tsukki. “Basically, we’re going to go out to Yamagata, and go to the bookstore where the signing’s at. You’re gonna go up to the cashier, ask for the manager on duty, and let them know that I-- remember, I write under a penname, so-- Kinjiro Akifumi is here to do the signing. They’ll show you where to set up and they’ll bring boxes of my books out. And then, once we’re set up, you just get to hang out with me while I meet with fans.” Tsukki leaned forward on the table and, in disbelief, asked “You’re kidding, right? I mean, there’s got to be a part of it you’re leaving out, right?”. Saito laughed heartily and shook his head. “No, that’s really it. It’s quite simple.” “But, that’s a lot of money for--” “--for like, no work? Yeah, I know. Only those who are _exceedingly_ well connected get this job in this company. I mean, some authors are more demanding, I’m sure, but I just want to get my work done, get paid, and go home.” Kei nodded in understanding.

Soon the two were in the back of yet another limo, and though the blonde knew it wasn’t quite polite, he couldn’t help but check his phone every couple of minutes; Hinata still hadn’t responded, and it was beginning to eat at him.

“Something wrong?”, Saito asked on the third occasion where Tsukki quickly lit up his cell screen, only to let it dim immediately upon noting the lack of notifications. “Oh-- uh-- no, I’m sorry. I was just-- well, I was just waiting to hear from someone. It’s uh-- it’s not important”, the blonde choked out, tucking his cell phone quickly in the breast pocket of his jacket. A sly smirk folded up in the corners of Saito’s lips. “Let me guess”, he hummed, “Your-- er-- _partner_ is mad because you went to lunch with me, _right?_ ”. Tsukki gaped for a moment before closing his mouth and nodding silently. After a moment, his gaze shifted from his own lap to the steel grey eyes beside him and, with a chuckle, lamented, “Am I that obvious?”. Saito reached over and gently patted Tsukki’s knee twice before letting it rest for a moment. As he withdrew his hand once more, he ran his fingers through his own auburn hair and, smiling jovially, laughed, “No, no, nothing of the sort!”. Raising an eyebrow, Tsukki asked, “Then how did you… you know, _know?”._ Saito leaned his elbow on the side of the door and propped his head up on his hand. _‘Because he told me this morning himself’,_ buzzed through his head, sending a series of sharp but enticing tingles up his spine. Quickly shaking this thought off, the older man shrugged, “I dunno. I guess I just kind of put two and two together.” “‘Two and two together’?”, the blonde repeated, “What do you mean?”. Saito performed a sort of mock groan before flashing a smile at the younger man and, turning to look at his lap, sighed, “Well, I mean… it seems kind of _obvious,_ when I reflect on the few stories I’ve heard, that your boyfriend is, well… at the very least, he seems to be a little controlling.” “Controlling?!”, Tsukki heard himself exclaim with an almost laughable degree of incredulousness in his voice, “What makes you think _that?!”._ Saito drew his hand to his lips and stifled a giggle. A smile still lingering on his lips, he chimed, “Oh-- Tsukishima-kun-- I’m terribly sorry if I’ve offended you. I only said that because you asked, but I never would’ve--” “No-- no. It’s fine”, the blonde interrupted, “I just-- I was surprised. I’ve never thought of Shō like that…”. Saito lulled his head, gazing out of the window for a long moment before turning back to Kei. “I suppose people have the tendency to look at the ones they love in the best light possible but--”, Saito paused and glanced up at his companion, biting his lower lip slightly before continuing, “--well, since you asked… you haven’t told me much about your partner, but, well, all I’ve ever heard has either been that you were worried about him or that he was mad at you. And while, of course, I am not nearly so naive as to believe that the impression I’ve gathered from a handful of candid comments paints a complete and accurate picture, as someone who cares about you, I must say that I am somewhat concerned.” “Concerned?”, echoed Tsukishima, still at a total loss for words. Saito nodded grimly. “I think everyone has at least one _bad_ relationship in high school. At least, everyone I’ve ever known has. Whether it’s a really toxic friend or an outright abusive relationship, I don’t think anyone escapes unscathed.” Tsukki snorted involuntarily. Blood immediately rushed to his cheeks as he joked, “Is that a direct quote from one of your novels?”. Saito rolled his eyes and simpered. “Yes, yes, I _know._ I’ve been told that I can be a little bit-- ah-- _melodramatic_ when I speak, but, hey-- who on this earth is allowed to be melodramatic if not a writer, am I right?”. Tsukki grinned and shrugged, “Actors, I guess?”. Simpering once more, Saito continued on. “Anyway, what I was _trying_ to say is, as someone who experienced a really controlling relationship in high school, if you ever need to talk to someone, I’m here for you.” With a strange smile that Tsukki himself could not place, the younger man replied, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

After an uncomfortably long pause, the blonde added, “Though, for the record, I don’t really think that Shōyō’s _controlling._ ” “Oh?”, came the skeptical response. Tsukki nodded. “He’s going through a tough time right now, and I think he wants to spend as much time together as possible. So, yeah, I guess I can see how it might _look_ controlling, but I promise, it isn’t.” Saito feigned a gentle smile before turning his attention to the window once more. “If you say so”, he replied softly.

The remainder of the car ride passed in silence. Tsukki wasn’t entirely sure what to say to Saito’s last remark, and almost felt as if the older man had said, “I don’t believe you”, instead. This didn’t sit well with Kei. He scoured his mind as they sat quietly, looking for any evidence to combat the notion that Saito had inadvertently planted in his head. _‘No’,_ he thought to himself, _‘Shōyō isn’t controlling-- not even a little bit. Sure, he gets upset when he doesn’t know where I am, and,_ **_sure_ ** _, he’s gotten really angry with me several times since we moved in together, but that’s normal relationship stuff, right?’._ The last word echoed in his mind over and over again. _‘Right?’. ‘Right???’._

The car arrived at a very large bookstore at nearly quarter to four that afternoon, and Tsukishima was shocked to see a line that extended out the door and halfway around the block. He stood gaping at the almost-unbelievable crowd until Saito shook him slightly and laughed, “Um, Tsukishima-kun, you _coming?”._

The signing wound up going exactly as Saito had explained it would; Tsukki had simply walked up to the cashier and asked for a manager, to whom he then introduced Saito. The manager showed the two where to set up and brought over supplies, including Saito’s newest publication, some stationary with the store’s logo lightly embossed on it, and some incredibly fancy (and surely expensive) pens. The signing started over ten minutes earlier than scheduled, due to the fact that Saito didn’t have much to do by means of setting up, and finished nearly half an hour late. It was only once the pair were seated once more in the back of Saito’s limousine at six thirty that evening that the gravity of the signing hit Tsukishima. He’d spent his day hanging out one-on-one _with a_ **_famous_ ** _author._ The bookstore manager had estimated that nearly three _hundred_ people showed up for the signing-- _for_ **_Saito’s_ ** _signing--_ and every single person that spoke to him seemed to be tremendously excited to be doing so. Was it possible that Tsukishima had been so vastly underestimating the man he’d only ever thought of as a (somewhat quirky) customer?

 _‘But--_ **_no_ ** _’,_ Tsukki thought to himself, glancing over at the older man, who was busy typing away an email to the publishing house, _‘He’s never presented himself to me as anything other than a customer. He doesn’t brag about his success, doesn’t really talk about his books, and definitely doesn’t speak like how I’d imagine a famous person speaks…’._ The blonde furrowed his brow as he thought, unsure of what to make of his evening. _‘Does this mean I’m friends with a famous guy?’,_ he thought to himself, fiddling with the red bracelet he’d been wearing for over a year as he pondered his situation, _‘I… I_ **_guess?_ ** _I mean, we’re friends, right? We talk most times we see each other and went out to lunch today…’._

“You okay there?”, laughed the older man as he slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket. He’d spent quite a bit of time composing a message to the president of the publishing house to follow up after their earlier phone call, explaining in full detail exactly why Tatsumi was not able to work and why, instead of calling the company to request an emergency substitute, Saito had instead asked his lunch date to join him. (These explanations were far from honest, however. The simple truth was that Saito had developed the entire plot mid-lunch and, after receiving his editor’s phone call and excusing himself from the table, outright _begged_ Tatsumi to call out from work. He promised his friend and editor that he would do whatever it took to make sure that he not only got paid for this time off, but was also reimbursed his sick days as well. With the email Saito sent, he was _certain_ that Tatsumi would be getting his demands met and more.

He was surprised, then, when, upon looking up from his device, he saw a very frustrated looking Tsukishima seated beside him. The younger man practically jumped when Saito addressed him, quickly meeting his gaze before staring at the carpet as if it suddenly became the most important and interesting thing in the universe.

Tsukki was embarrassed. He felt bad for being caught zoning out and couldn’t help but feel a little bit uncomfortable with where his mind had been when Saito called out to him. There was a small part of him that was always paranoid that other people could tell what he was thinking, and while he hadn’t been thinking about anything too sordid, he still loathed the idea of Saito somehow realizing that had actually been contemplating their friendship.

Before the blonde could form a coherent explanation for the expression on his face, Saito smiled knowingly before sighing and turning his attention to the window to his left. “Let me guess”, he groaned, “Your _boyfriend_ is still mad?”. Tsukki’s heart sank as it slowly dawned on him that he hadn’t checked his phone once since their last car ride. He laughed and shrugged noncommittally, pulling out his phone moments later to see if Hinata had ever responded. He was disappointed to see that the only notification was a missed call from his mom. The blonde carefully tucked his phone away and gazed absentmindedly out the window for nearly a minute before fishing out the device once more.

 _‘What time is it?’,_ Tsukki thought desperately as he struggled to make the face of his phone illuminate, _‘Maybe he stayed late too. Maybe he just isn’t out yet.’_ Finally the screen illuminated: it was almost 7:00. Even if Hinata _was_ staying late, it was really unlikely that he wasn’t able to check his phone, considering the coffeeshop closed at 6.

 **Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (6:51pm):** Hey, I’m on my way home. I’ll see you in a little bit.

He frowned down at his phone, unhappy with the general air of formality in his message. On the one hand, he didn’t want to somehow further upset or offend Hinata, but on the other, it seemed strange to speak so rigidly to the boy he’d adored for so long. After thinking on it for a few seconds, he added,

 **Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (6:52pm):** I love you

With this, Kei tucked his phone into his pocket, resolving to leave it there until he got home, whether he felt it vibrate or not..

The blonde had only just begun recognizing buildings from his neighborhood when the man beside him cleared his throat. “Tsukishima”, Saito started, pausing briefly to smile when the younger man’s eyes met his, “...I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.” Politely returning the smile, Tsukki laughed, “Oh, no, _please._ In fact, _I_ should be the one thanking _you_ for the opportunity.” “No, no, no!”, waved the older man, grinning at his companion, “You did me a _major_ favor. I can only hope that you didn’t absolutely _hate_ the signing.” The blonde shook his head. “It was really interesting, actually.” “And easy, I trust?” This time, a nod. “Very much so. I can’t believe what you said they get paid.” “Oh!”, Saito remarked, suddenly remembering the other thing he’d meant to talk to the younger man about, “About that! So, since you’re not on the payroll with my company, they’re probably gonna pay you as a contractor. All that really means is that it’ll take a little bit longer. But I’ll make sure the check gets in your hands, one way or another.” “Thanks”, the blonde replied, a slight smile forming at the corners of his lips.

With that, the car pulled up in front of Tsukishima’s apartment. “Oh”, Saito frowned, “Looks like it’s your stop.” Tsukki glanced out the window and frowned slightly before turning back to the older man. “Well-- uh-- thanks again”, he said, forcing a smile. “Any time”, smiled Saito. As Kei reached for the handle, Saito reached out and gently touched the blonde’s arm. “Tsukishima”, Saito said solemnly, the smile falling from his face as the younger man’s eyes met his, “If you ever need anything-- if you ever need a place to stay, or to talk or anything like that, please let me know. I’m here for you.” The car was silent for a moment while Tsukki digested these words before forcing a smile. “Thanks”, he replied and, with one more simper, climbed out of the car.

Tsukishima Kei wearily entered his apartment just before 7:30 that evening. The first thing he noticed was the omnipresent silence that permeated the entire flat. “Shō, I’m home!”, he called as he slipped his shoes off. Still, silence. _‘Weird’,_ the blonde thought to himself, _‘His shoes are here…’._ The thought suddenly occurred to Kei to check the bedroom-- it would make sense if Shō hadn’t answered because he was asleep, right?-- and quickly headed across the apartment to find his love.

However, he was stopped as he strode across the flat.

 _“Where are you going?”,_ called a voice from behind him-- from on the couch. Tsukki knew in his heart that it was Shōyō calling out to him, but somehow the voice sounded different. It was calm. It was measured. It was _cold._ The blonde turned around slowly and was surprised to see a tuft of red hair facing him; Hinata had not even turned around to address him. _‘This can’t be good’._

Kei walked the few feet over to the couch in silence, turning to face Hinata when he arrived in front of him. An all too familiar face stared blankly up at him and, heart sinking, the blonde knew definitively that Hinata was, once again, angry with him.

“Shō…”, Kei started, desperate to head off the storm that was clearly brewing within the small redhead.  “Don’t you _‘Shō’_ me!”, he spat, “Where the _hell_ have you been?!”. Tsukki lowered himself to the couch in the hopes of having a conversation on equal footing; he couldn’t help but feel, as he stood in front of Hinata, that he was a small child being admonished for bad behavior. “Shō, sweetheart, plea--” “No”, Hinata huffed, scooting to the farthest end of the couch he could so as to avoid the blonde’s gentle touch, “I don’t want excuses or apologies. Where _were_ you?”. “I told you”, frowned Tsukki, “I went to lunch with one of our customers.” “ _Who?”._ “Uh- his name is Takeshi. I’ve told you about him several times. He comes to the bookstore practically every day.” Hinata breathed loudly out of his nose. “I still don’t understand why you had to go out with him.” Tsukki frowned. “He’s been asking me to hang out for a while now. He moved to the area recently and said he hasn’t met anyone he could have good conversation with.” “Oh, and I suppose _you’re_ the person he can have ‘good conversation’ with?”, scoffed the redhead. Tsukki shrugged, “I guess.”

The two were silent for a brief moment before Hinata huffed, “What does some _old guy_ want with a _high schooler_ anyway? Are you seriously telling me that he can’t find _anyone_ his own age to talk with?”. Kei cocked his head. “‘Old guy’? Shōyō, he’s like Akiteru’s age, I think. He’s older than we are, I guess, but he’s not _old._ ” A strange expression crossed over Hinata’s face at this new information. Moments later, he stammered out, “W-well, do _you_ enjoy your conversations with _him_?”. Again Kei shrugged. “I guess. He’s an author and he’s pretty smart. So we mostly talk about literature or current events. Just, I dunno, interesting things I guess.” The expression on Hinata’s face got even weirder, though he remained silent. “Uh”, Kei stammered, trying to come up with anything that could push the conversation along, “Well-- anyway-- uh-- so, at lunch, he got a phone call, and--” “Where’d you go for lunch?”, interrupted the redhead. “Um… I don’t remember the name of it. It was like the place I went to with my aunt.” “That expensive French place?!”, exclaimed Shōyō, “We can’t afford that!”. Something was really off with Hinata’s responses, but Tsukki was unable to say what, exactly, it was. “Well, first of all, yes, we could. We _shouldn’t_ spend that much money on frivolous things like that, but if we had to, we could. But anyway--” “So how much did you spend? Can we even afford to pay _rent_ this month?!”. Tsukki was taken aback by these questions, and his shock was clearly written across his face. “Um… I _didn’t_ spend any money, but even if I did, we’d be able to afford rent.” “What do you _mean,_ you didn’t spend any money?!”, exclaimed Hinata, somehow even more upset than he had been when he thought Kei had blown their savings on a fancy meal. “Takeshi paid for lunch.” “You mean like a _date?!”_ “What?! No! What is wrong with you?! He just paid because he apparently does pretty well for himself, while I’m a high schooler working a part time job.”

At this, Hinata stood up. “Great! Just great! My boyfriend-- my _fiance--_ goes out to a fancy french restaurant with _some guy_ who apparently _really_ likes talking to him-- apparently so much so that he’s willing to put out tons of money just to be graced with my fiance’s presence-- and then they disappear for _hours,_ and yet something’s wrong with _me_ because I call it like I see it! Everything completely fine as long as I don’t refer to it as what it was-- a _date!”._ Kei also rose to his feet. He’d been trying to stay calm despite Hinata’s clear accusations, but his patience was near his breaking point. “Shōyō, what exactly are you saying?”, he asked, trying to steady his voice as he spoke. “You _know_ what I’m saying”, choked out the smaller boy before abruptly turning on his heel and heading towards the front door. Kei followed quickly, his heart pounding as Hinata stooped to slip on his shoes. “Where are you going, Shō?”, he begged, his annoyance suddenly melting into heartbreak. “It doesn’t matter”, the redhead shrugged, “Since you won’t be honest with me about how you spend _your_ time, I don’t really feel like I have to be transparent with how I’m spending _my_ time, either!”.

With that, Hinata Shōyō stormed out the door, slamming it behind him, leaving a stunned and hurt Kei behind, staring at the now shut door.

 _What the hell just happened?_  



	22. Nipping it in the Bud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata comes back after storming off and the two boys talk it out.

It was nearly midnight when Kei heard the front door click open. He’d been in bed, trying his best to sleep in spite of the sharp ache that had settled in his chest the moment the door slammed behind Hinata earlier that evening. He quickly sprung up, disturbing LG (who had been resting comfortably on Tsukishima’s pillow with his little head resting on his human’s blonde locks), and crossed the room, where he stood cautiously in the doorway. He watched in silence as Hinata kicked off his shoes, though he was eventually forced to speak once it became clear that the redhead was not going to acknowledge him.

“...where did you go?”, Kei asked, his voice low and sorrowful. Shōyō looked up, scowled, and continued over to the couch. “...like you don’t know”, he replied curtly, throwing himself down onto the cushion below.

His words were true: the blonde knew that Hinata had gone to hang out with Kageyama. Half an hour after Hinata had left the house, Kei broke down and began texting all of their shared friends in a panic.  He’d messaged Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Akiteru and was just about to start texting their former senpais when Kageyama finally texted him back, confirming that Hinata was with him. This, of course, didn’t sit well with Tsukishima, given their history, but at least he knew that Hinata was safe.

The blonde slowly approached his boyfriend, feeling an uncomfortable degree of deja vu gripping his senses. He carefully lowered himself onto the couch, swiveled on the cushion so as to face Hinata directly. “Shō… can we please, like, _talk?”,_ he asked, heartache clearly spelled across his face. “What’s there to talk about?”, asked the older of the two, folding his arms in front of him defensively, “You went on a date with someone who _isn’t_ me.” Tsukishima shifted irritably. “Shō, _why_ do you keep saying that?!” “Cuz it’s what happened”, retorted the smaller man resolutely. After a long, drawn out sigh, the blonde looked back up at his boyfriend, who had yet to even glance at him, and said, “I’m telling you, it was _not_ a date! It was literally just something for work, cuz one of our customers has been bugging me practically since I started working there. I don’t even think he’s into guys.” Hinata scoffed, but Tsukishima persisted. “ **But,** even if he **_was_** , _I’m not into_ **_him_** _._ At _all._ ” At this, Hinata snorted loudly. After a drawn out sigh, the redhead, eyes fixed on the carpet before him, said plainly, “You’ve changed.”

Tsukki’s heart skipped a beat, though he could not easily say why. The words the smaller man had just uttered reverberated endlessly through his head, echoing, _“You’ve changed”, “You’ve changed”, “You’ve changed”._ And though Tsukishima managed a coherent response-- “What do you mean?”-- he found his mind was racing and his heart was in his throat. The redhead clearly took his time choosing his words, running his tongue over his front teeth as he thought. “The Tsukishima Kei I fell in love with”, he said, drawing out each and every syllable, “would _never_ have voluntarily gone out with some _stranger.”_ Tsukki sat up at this remark, straightening his back as a scowl overtook his face. “I didn’t have a choice, Shō”, Tsukki sighed exasperatedly, “it would’ve damaged my career.” _“‘Damaged your career'?!”,_ Hinata scoffed, “Those words never would’ve left the old Kei’s mouth! You were apathetic about everything! And if someone was annoying you or pressuring you to hang out, you would’ve had _no trouble_ telling them _exactly_ what you thought!”.

At this, Tsukishima whipped his head in Hinata’s and snapped, “Are you _kidding me?_ Shōyō, do you ever fucking _think_ before you talk?!”. Hinata’s eyes widened and a deep flush rushed to his cheeks-- this was the first time Tsukki had ever sworn at him in anger. Tears began pooling in his eyes faster than he could process what he was actually feeling. Kei, however, continued, “Of _course_ I was apathetic about everything-- and of-fucking-course I’m not now! There’s one major difference between now and then-- _you._ Everything I do-- from work, to school, to our apartment-- is because I cannot _bear the thought_ of losing you. I was apathetic before I had you because I’d never had anything that I truly _cherished._ And now that I do, I need to take care of you-- I need to protect you-- and I need to make sure we’re secure. So, yes, _goddamnit,_ I _do_ care about my job. I _do_ care about saving face with my customers. And if I have to go out with one of them for lunch every now and then just to keep his business, I’m happy to do it, because at the end of the day, that’s money that goes into my pocket to make sure that you’ll always be housed, clothed, and fed!”.

Tears were flowing from the eyes of both men, though Tsukishima remained resolute in his tirade. With a deep breath in and out, the blonde continued.

“Frankly, I am _deeply_ insulted by your _constant_ insinuations that I am-- or ever could be-- cheating on you. I _love you,_ Shōyō”--Tsukki reached over and forcibly took Hinata’s left hand, cupping it in both of his-- “You are _literally_ the only person I’ve ever so much as _liked._ Everything I do is for you-- for _us._ Because I love you, and I absolutely cannot live without you.”

At this, Hinata’s demeanor softened; his tear-streaked cheeks flushed deeply as he worked up the courage to look up at Kei. When he did, the blonde saw that his amber eyes were so flooded with tears that Tsukki doubted that he was actually able to see. “...D- do you mean that?”, squeaked a small voice. Tsukki breathed a sigh of relief and reached out, physically pulling the smaller boy into his lap. He could feel Hinata quaking as he wrapped his arms around his slender body, burying his face in the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. “Of course”, he whispered against Hinata’s soft, pale skin, “That has never changed.”

The two sat there intertwined for several minutes while Hinata sobbed silently, though once he began to slow down, the blonde pulled back. “ _Please,_ let me explain to you what happened today”, he begged. Hinata bit his lip and nodded.

It took Tsukishima nearly twenty minutes to explain, in great detail, everything that had happened from the moment he left their apartment to the moment he returned later that evening. “...and he said that it’ll probably be a few days before it’s ready, but he’ll physically bring me the check for ¥850000.” “...are you _sure_ he said ¥850000?”, asked Hinata, sniffling as he wiped his nose, brushing away the last of the evidence that he’d been crying as hard as he was. Tsukishima smiled and nodded. “Yep. I double checked with him, too. But, Shōyō, do you realize what this could _mean_ for us? I mean-- it could be a foot in the door for me, and if I was able to work with Takeshi even once a month, neither of us would have to work the kinds of hours we have been. You could quit your job and just focus on school and volleyball and whatever, and I could work every now and then and we’d _still_ be making more than we are now!”. Hinata seemed to think on this for a moment before marvelling, “Wow… that’s incredible!”. Tsukishima’s smile faded slightly as he asked, “So you forgive me for staying out longer than expected with Takeshi?”. “Forgive you?”, asked the redhead incredulously, “There’s nothing to forgive! And— I mean— again, I am really, really sorry that I let my imagination get the best of me. I should’ve known better.”

The blonde leaned forward and kissed Hinata gently on the tip of his nose. “All is forgiven”, he hummed as he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Hinata’s, “...so, can we go to bed now?”. “Of course”, grinned the older of the two, pecking Tsukki on the lips before rising to his feet.

After changing into pajamas and finishing his nightly routine, Hinata climbed into bed next to his boyfriend, snuggling up next to him as Tsukishima wrapped his long, lanky limbs around the smaller man. “I love you”, Hinata said, smiling gently into the darkness. “I love you too”, came the reply.

It was a few minutes before either spoke, but, with a slight tremble in his voice, Tsukishima said, “Shōyō? Can I… can I ask something of you?”. The redhead was surprised by the sudden question but nodded wordlessly into the night. “...In the future, if we were to ever have another issue where you felt the need to leave and cool off or whatever… could you go literally anywhere besides Kageyama’s place?”. Hinata lay stunned for a moment before quickly turning over to face his lover. “But… Kageyama’s my best friend”, he replied with a frown. Tsukishima propped himself up on his elbow, furrowing his brow as he said, “I know that. But… well… given the fact that he tried to prevent us from getting together, and given the fact that you somehow concluded that I was cheating on you… I dunno, Shō, it just seems like a recipe for disaster.” Hinata seemed taken aback by this request, but after a long silence, he nodded once more, saying, “I understand. I’ll do my best to reach out to someone else. But… well… if this is what we’re doing, couldn’t _I_ ask _you_ not to talk to Yamaguchi when we’re having problems?”. Confounded, Tsukishima asked, “...how is that even remotely similar?”. “Well”, started the redhead, “Since he used to like you and everything.” The blonde blinked twice before a wry smile broke out across his face. “Oh ha, ha”, he said dryly, “Very funny. I thought it was a reasonable request, but if you don’t agree, you don’t have t—“ “Kei”, interrupted Hinata, _“You’re_ the one who told me that he admitted his feelings for you…” “What? What are you talking about?”, Tsukishima asked, an unsettling feeling rising up in the pit of his stomach. Hinata frowned and, after briefly wondering if he should’ve just kept his mouth shut, continued, “The night that… uh… the night that everything with my dad happened, when you came home from the hospital, you told me that Yamaguchi told you he used to have a thing for you. ...do you seriously not remember this at all?”. Kei wracked his brain for a solid minute before shaking his head. “No… in fact, now that I think about it... I don’t remember a lot from that night. It’s all really fuzzy.” Hinata snorted involuntarily, giggling to himself and quickly stammering, “Sorry-- sorry-- it’s just-- yeah, _of course_ you don’t remember anything from that night, you hit your head!”. Tsukishima simpered before rolling over onto his back. The room was silent for a long moment before Hinata asked, “Are you okay?”. The blonde nodded. “Yeah”, he said quietly, “‘just have a lot to think about.” In a small, quiet voice, the redhead asked, “...You’re not gonna leave me for Tadashi, are you?”. When a glance to the smaller man revealed a look of utmost severity, Tsukishima’s own solemn facade cracked, a tidal wave of giggles bursting through as the idea seemed only to grow in hilarity. At first Shōyō was offended, but soon Kei’s laughter became infectious, and the two boys found themselves laughing until they could scarcely breathe. When the laughter finally began to die down, Tsukishima gasped through staggered breaths, “No— _No, Shō—_ I am _not_ leaving you for Yamaguchi. And, of course, I mean no offense to Yamaguchi either. In fact, it kind of hurts to think that he’s liked me for so long, and that I had no idea, but— _no._ Like I said: You are the only person for me. You’re the only person I’ve ever had feelings like this for.”

“Although”, the blonde added after a few minutes of make up snuggles, “...I kinda think I need to talk to Yamaguchi, now that I know the things that I know”. “What?”, asked Hinata, shifting uncomfortably on Tsukki’s chest, “Why would you bring something like that back up after all this time? _Especially_ since he’s dating Yachi now…”. Tsukki smoothed Hinata’s hair out of his face before leaning in and gently kissing his forehead. “I just think…”, he started, “that it’s something that needs to be done. Something’s been _off_ between us lately, and I’d be willing to bet that it has something to do with this whole… _mess._ ”

The redhead involuntarily emitted a discontented sigh, earning yet another soft chuckle from his lover. “Don’t worry”, Tsukishima cooed, “My heart belongs to you.”

  
\---

 

Matsuki Kira was still wide awake by the time Tsukishima and Hinata had finally drifted off to sleep  early that Tuesday morning, restlessly tossing and turning in her own plush four-poster bed. She couldn’t stop the racing thoughts that kept pulsing through her mind, jolting her awake any time she began to feel herself relaxing. At this point she was positively _dreading_ her early morning shift at her dad’s coffeeshop, and for a fraction of a second even found herself considering asking one of her siblings to switch shifts with her. That thought was very quickly discarded, however, when she remembered _why_ she couldn’t sleep in the first place, which also happened to be the very reason why she was so eager to go into work each day as well: she was ridiculously and hopelessly head-over-heels infatuated with their newest barista, Hinata Shōyō.

Kira couldn’t exactly put her finger on when or why she started liking the young redhead. All she knew was that she did, and that she couldn’t get him off her mind. In fact, when she first met him, she thought that he was a little goofy looking, especially given that she was nearly half an inch taller than he was. She’d also had her heart set on someone else-- the new customer whose regular visits to their shop just so happened to coincide with the beginning of the redhead’s employment at The Daily Grind. Her crush on Saito was completely understandable, of course. Saito was extraordinarily handsome and charming, mature and clean cut, well spoken and debonair. He was everything that Kira had ever dreamed of and more. Unfortunately, he’d made it clear fairly early on that not only was he not interested in Kira, but that he also felt that Kira and Hinata made an adorable couple. He seemed genuinely shocked when Kira confessed that she and Hinata weren’t involved romantically, and vowed to do anything he could to help her-- as he said-- _‘get her guy’._ Since then, she seemed to have trouble shaking the little redhead from her mind. She’d even tried asking him out a few times, though Hinata never actually seemed to notice her intentions.

Kira knew that she had a habit of getting too wrapped up in her crushes. She’d memorized boys phone numbers and schedules, practiced writing out _‘Mrs. FamilyName Kira’,_ and mapped out their futures according to numerology, astrology, and MASH. But at the ripe old age of nineteen, her lovesick tendencies only seemed to be getting worse. She’d _never_ been so obsessed with a guy that she’d actually missed necessary _sleep_ over it, yet there she was at one a.m., tossing and turning as images of the cheerful redhead flashed through her mind.

She felt like she was going crazy, but wasn’t sure what there was to do about it. She wasn’t sure who could possibly understand what she was going through; after all, most of her friends were into the party scene, and the few who weren’t were in committed relationships. What could any of them _possibly_ understand about the trials she’d been going through with her crush who, with each passing day, she was growing more and more sure was her soulmate?

It was nearly one thirty in the morning when Kira followed through with an impulse she’d been fighting off since her night of agonizing over-thought began: she finally picked up her phone and messaged the only person she knew to be her ally in her attempts to woo Hinata Shōyō-- Saito Takeshi.

 

 **Matsuki Kira:** Hey, u up? **  
****Saito Takeshi:** Yes I am :)  
**Saito Takeshi:** What’s on your mind, my dear?  
**Matsuki Kira:** cnt stop thinkin about hinata lol **  
****Matsuki Kira:** idk wt 2 do **  
****Matsuki Kira:** he never seems 2 get tht im asking him out :’( **  
****Saito Takeshi:** Hmm…  
**Saito Takeshi:** And you’re sure you’re being clear enough about asking him out?  
**Matsuki Kira:** ya **  
****Matsuki Kira:** im being about as direct as i cn **  
****Saito Takeshi:** Hmm…  
**Saito Takeshi:** Well, I have one idea, but idk…  
**Matsuki Kira:**? **  
****Matsuki Kira:** wat is it? **  
****Saito Takeshi:** idk  
**Saito Takeshi:** It’s not the most moral thing to do  
**Saito Takeshi:** I guess it all depends on how bad you want to try to make things work…  
**Matsuki Kira:** tell me **  
****Matsuki Kira:** at this point i am literally willing to try anything **  
****Saito Takeshi:** Anything?  
**Saito Takeshi:** You’re sure about that?  
**Matsuki Kira:** Yes **  
****Matsuki Kira:** 100% **  
****Matsuki Kira:** i mean look @ me lol **  
****Matsuki Kira:** i cant sleep b/c of him **  
****Matsuki Kira:** i feel like im going crazy **  
****Saito Takeshi:** Alright, well, if you’re sure...

 


	23. Wordplay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima makes the best of his newfound time off and visits Hinata at work for the first time.

Tsukishima Kei was in a good mood. Things seemed to have gotten better since his most recent fight with the love of his life, Hinata Shōyō, which had taken place nearly a week ago, since which point the boys had spent nearly every free moment they had together.

The blonde was especially elated on this particular day in late July as his boss, Hayashi-san, had dismissed him from work early. “It’s a beautiful day out”, the old man grinned, stepping in from where he’d stood in the doorway for nearly twenty minutes, “The sun is shining, but there’s a lovely breeze keeping the summer heat at bay. The birds are chirping, even the air smells nice!” “I think that’s the bakery next door”, Tsukki argued, smiling as he reshelved a disorganized section of books. Hayashi-san walked over to the young man and lovingly placed his hand on Tsukishima’s shoulder. “Go. Enjoy this beautiful day with your friends. We don’t get days like this too often-- you have to enjoy them while you’re still young and full of vigor!” “Vigor?”, the blonde repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow, “But sir, I really need to finish reorganizing this--” “Nonsense!”, interrupted the old man, “Go! Live a little! You spend too much time working as it is! I’m paying you for the rest of the day, and you’re leaving-- no if’s, and’s, or but’s!”. With that, the older man began scooping books out of Kei’s hand and blocking him from taking more. After his protests were silenced and his attempts to convince Hayashi-san that the nice day wasn’t going to just disappear in the remaining four hours he was scheduled to work, Tsukishima ultimately gave in, taking off his apron and hanging it neatly before asking his boss one last time if he was _absolutely sure--_ in response to which Hayashi-san practically kicked Tsukishima out of the store.

And though it didn’t necessarily feel ‘right’ to be paid for time not spent actively working, Tsukki had to admit… it _was_ a beautiful day. He checked the time on his phone and, upon seeing that it was nearly 12:30pm, the blonde elected to head across town to where his boyfriend would be still working for the next hour.

He’d only been inside the coffee shop that Hinata worked at twice, and both times were very quick errands in which he was delivering something that the redhead had forgotten at home. When he arrived at The Daily Grind nearly twenty minutes later, he decided that today would be the day when he finally ordered something and sat down in the cafe.

He had to laugh to himself when, upon walking in, he saw his beloved little redhead bustling around like crazy, taking orders left and right and promptly filling them.

“Good Afternoon, what can I get you?”, came an exasperated question that sounded much more like a demand, which was immediately followed by an excited gasp when Hinata looked up and noticed who his customer was. “Kei!!!”, he squealed, grinning from ear to ear, “What are you doing here?!!!”. Tsukki smiled down at the smaller man. He wanted desperately to lean in and kiss him, or at the very least to lean across the counter and wrap his arms around the boy he loved so deeply, but he restrained himself. While he personally did not understand it, Hinata had a pretty significant hang up on being publicly out in Sendai. Since his parents had left the prefecture, Hinata’s anxieties had lessened a bit, though he still made it quite clear to his boyfriend that he didn’t want to be out at work, for fear that he might be treated differently.

“Hayashi-san gave me the afternoon off”, Tsukishima shrugged, glancing behind him to make sure that their small talk wasn’t creating a line behind him (it wasn’t), “He said it was too beautiful an afternoon for ‘a youngster’ like me to be indoors working, and told me to go spend the day with my friends.”

“Friends?!?!”, echoed a high-pitched, disembodied voice. From around the corner came a thin young woman with long, pin-straight black hair. “Hinata-kun, is this a friend of yours?!”, exclaimed the young woman as she bustled to join the redhead at the counter. “Oh-- uh--”, stammered Hinata, turning bright red as he spoke, “Yes. Um-- this-- this is my _best_ friend, Tsukishima Kei. Kei--”, Hinata’s eyes screamed out apologies and promises that he would make it up to Tsukki later, “--this is my coworker, Matsuki Kira.” “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Matsuki”, chimed the blonde, bowing slightly as he smiled across the counter. “Oh, _please,_ call me Kira! Everyone else does! So what brings you to our fine shop?” Glancing quickly to his boyfriend, Tsukishima continued to smile and shrugged, “I got out of work early today, so I came to see Shōyō.” “I see!”, exclaimed Kira in an exaggerated tone of interest. At this point Hinata looked so uncomfortable that Tsukki half expected him to crawl under the counter. In what was solely an act of mercy, Kei cleared his throat and said, “Well— anyway— Can I get a green tea?” “Sure!”, chirped the redhead, relieved to have the conversation drawn away from any potential speculation as to what his relationship with the blonde was, “Anything else?”. “No”, shrugged Tsukki as he pulled out his wallet, “That’s it. You get out at 1:30, right?” Hinata nodded as he accepted his fiancé’s bill, rang up the sale, and handed him his change, feeling inexplicably weird for charging Kei for something. “Are you gonna have this here?”, Hinata asked before stepping away from the counter to begin preparing Kei’s order. “Yeah, I mean, I have to wait for you anyway, so I might as well”, the blonde replied, glancing around to ensure that there was somewhere for him to sit in the busy little café. “Why don’t you go sit and I’ll bring your drink to you?”, Hinata suggested, subtly nodding towards Kira, who still had yet to leave the counter (or, for that matter, their conversation, which she was still wraptly listening to, occasionally nodding as if anything at all that was being discussed had to do with her). With a nod and a quick ‘it was nice to meet you’, Tsukki turned around and headed to the table positioned beside the front window, where he proceeded to idly people-watch until Hinata joined him a few minutes later.

“I don’t know what it is with her lately”, Hinata sighed in a whisper as he seated himself in the vacant chair across the table from his lover, “For the past few weeks, it’s like she won’t leave me alone! No matter what I’m doing, she’s doing it too. Sorry to put you on the spot like that…”. The redhead slid a fancy tea cup across the table to Tsukki, followed shortly by a large cookie. “It’s on the house”, Hinata grinned, seeing the obvious question forming in the corner of the blonde’s lips. Instead Tsukki allowed himself to smile, though that smile was quickly replaced by a deep frown. “Why didn’t you mention that Kira has been giving you a hard time? I wouldn’t have come if I knew it would be a problem…”. “Oh, it’s not a problem! It’s just… Well, we can talk more about this at home, but… It just seems like she’s been a little _too_ friendly lately, you know? I don’t know how else to describe it…” “Huh”, said Tsukishima, taking a sip of his tea, “Sounds odd.”

The two were able to sit and chat for another minute longer before Kira’s voice echoed through the cafe, calling, “Hinata-kun! Customer!”. The redhead whipped his head around and saw that there was, indeed, a customer at the front counter and, with a frown, he excused himself from his company. Tsukki watched him walk off, feeling a sense of pride that his little baby crow had grown into a mostly-capable young man. He watched Hinata intently as he worked, and was therefore quite surprised when a voice began speaking at the same table as him.

“So you’re Hinata-kun’s friend, huh?”. Though he’d been shocked by the sudden (close) sound, Tsukki was largely unsurprised to see, upon turning his head back, that the person who had joined him was Kira. “Um-- yes”, the blonde replied, uncomfortable with lying, but well aware that any truth-telling on his part could very well negatively impact Hinata (or at least, he knew that that was Hinata’s perspective on the matter). “I have _so_ much I want to ask you”, the young woman gushed, smirking as she leaned in, resting her chin atop her laced fingers, her elbows propped up on the table. “Oh, do you?”, responded Tsukishima disinterestedly, taking another sip of his tea and glancing back over to where Hinata was bustling about helping a steady stream of customers. “Yeah”, confirmed Kira, in a tone that clearly indicated that she hadn’t noticed the blonde’s demeanor, “But you _can’t_ tell Hinata-kun what we talk about, ‘kay?”. “Uh… sure”, Tsukki said, while thinking to himself, _‘I am definitely telling Shōyō every single word she says’._

Kira squealed quietly before starting, “So, I guess the most important question is: Does Hinata-kun have a girlfriend?” “A… _girlfriend?”,_ Tsukishima repeated disdainfully, glancing back to the redhead once more, “...No. He definitely does **not** have a girlfriend.” Kira gasped then, leaning forward, exclaimed, “So he’s single?!?!?!”, which Tsukishima met with a look of pure repulsion. _“No._ He is _not_ single.” At this, the young woman sat back in her chair and cocked her head. “But… you said…”, she started, a look of clear confusion painted across her face. The blonde sighed; he’d never loved having to be Hinata’s secret, but having to actively lie about it was _exhausting._

“He’s engaged”, Tsukishima said simply, polishing off what remained of his tea, “He does not have a girlfriend, nor is he single. He has a fiance.” The blonde watched Kira process this information, her face lighting up as she finally grasped what he was saying, only to fall once more once she _realized_ what he was saying. “E- e- _engaged?!”,_ she stammered, clearly astonished at this new piece of information. Kei nodded. “B- but…”, she started, frowning back at Hinata. “Let me guess”, snorted Tsukishima, “You thought he was too _goofy_ to be in a relationship? You thought you stood a chance because you figured you were the only person who’d be able to appreciate him for who he really is?”. “I-- I--”, started the dark-haired woman, her eyes welling up with tears, “...I guess the thought of him dating someone just didn’t cross my mind. He doesn’t talk about it at all, which is pretty surprising considering he usually doesn’t _stop_ talking through the whole shift!”. Tsukki shrugged. “Hinata can be a pretty private person, when he deems it necessary. I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know about him.” Kira nodded slowly, seeming to digest these words as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Um-- w- well… is… is she at least… _pretty?”,_ she asked, her big brown eyes searching Kei’s for answers. Unfortunately, the blonde had gotten lost between the conversation, his thoughts, and reality, and ultimately responded, “... _who?”._ Kira frowned and said, “Hinata-kun’s fiancee.” Tsukishima looked back over to the redhead, who waved at him, having what seemed to be a moment to spare between customers; the blonde glared back. “Yes”, he said, turning back to Kira, “Hinata’s fiance is _way_ out of his league.” At this, the young woman seemed to deflate a little bit more, though, incensed by his frustration with his boyfriend, Tsukishima continued, “His fiance is tall, fit, blonde, and pretty smart on top of it all.” “She sounds _perfect”,_ Kira cried, laying her head in her arms on the table. Tsukki shrugged. “Maybe not perfect. But definitely the best that Shōyō will ever get.”

An awkward silence settled on the table as Kira seemed to be sobbing into her arms, though Tsukishima made no move to comfort her. He knew it was technically the _right_ thing to do, but he had no patience for other people trying to make a move on the love of his life. He was just about to excuse himself from the table, the awkwardness having mounted to almost intolerable heights, when, while glancing around the cafe, his eyes met with another surprisingly familiar set.

“...Takeshi?”, the blonde found himself saying, standing up and smiling against his own better judgement. Walking away from the counter was Tsukki’s auburn-haired regular customer from his bookshop. “Tsukishima?!”, exclaimed the older man in disbelief, nearly spilling the coffee whose cap he was fumbling with, “What are you doing here?”. “Oh, um”, the blonde started, glancing quickly back to Kira, “I’m visiting my friend who works here.” “...what’d you do to _her?”,_ Saito asked with a laugh. Recognizing the voice being directed at her, Kira suddenly sat upright, wiping away her tears with the heel of her palm. “S- Saito-san!”, she exclaimed, “Y- y- you know Hinata-kun’s friend?”. Saito smiled and nodded, “Yes, actually! Tsukishima and I have become fairly close since he started working at another one of my favorite establishments. We even went out for lunch last week! Speaking of…”, turning to face Tsukishima, he asked, “Are you free at the moment? Do you want to go grab something?”. Tsukki simpered but shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but Shōyō will be getting out any minute now.” “Shōyō?”, both Saito and Kira repeated.

As if on cue, Hinata came walking up to the table and jovially said, “Hey, you ready to go?” “Yes. I most definitely am”, the blonde replied, pushing himself out of his chair quickly. “What should I do with…?”, he asked, gesturing to his tea cup and uneaten cookie. “Just leave it”, waved Kira miserably, “I’ll deal with it”. “Oh! Thanks!”, Hinata beamed, and together the couple left the shop, the smaller man chatting eagerly about where they should go for lunch.

“Well that went _terribly”,_ Kira lamented, slamming her head on the table once more as Saito seated himself across from her. “I can’t say I expected that to happen…”, mused the older man, more to himself than anything. After a moment, Kira pulled herself up and exclaimed, “Can you believe it?! Hinata-kun is _engaged!_ And apparently the girl he’s engaged to is _smart_ and _pretty_ and _blonde…”._ “Kira…”, started Saito, looking at the young woman in disbelief, “...Hinata isn’t engaged to a woman. He’s engaged to the person you were just sharing a table with.”

It took a long moment before Kira had understood what had just happened. It was true: Tsukishima had not used any gender pronouns when he described Hinata’s fiance. He said that Hinata didn’t have a girlfriend-- which would be true if he was, in fact, engaged to a man-- and he said that Hinata wasn’t single. He described the redhead’s partner as being “tall” (check), “fit” (check), and “blonde” (check). _‘How did I miss such obvious signals?’,_ Kira thought to herself, distress mounting with each new realization, _‘How could I have been so_ **_stupid_ ** _?!’._

Again her eyes began welling up with tears. “This is _so much worse_ than I thought it could be!”, she cried, “Not only is he in a relationship-- he’s gay _and_ he’s engaged!”. Saito reached a hand across the table and pat the young woman’s hand sympathetically. He partially detested himself for the words that were about to come out of his mouth, but at the same time, having grown up a gay male and encountered homophobia in countless different forms of expression (some _far_ more subtle than others), he learned some easy ways to manipulate others when sexuality was thrown into the mix. He just hoped that Kira was as ‘unenlightened’ as she portrayed herself.

“No… Shh… Don’t cry…”, he soothed, “This is so much _better_ than we could’ve hoped for! I mean, don’t you think that Hinata’s only gay because he hasn’t had a woman interested in him before?”. Inside, Saito cringed-- having had those very words directed at himself and his own conquests in the past-- but still, he persisted. “He’s _awfully_ young to be engaged, at that. I bet this is his first relationship, and he’s just desperate to hold on to it.” The young woman seemed to think this over for a moment before sadly asking, “Y- you think so?”. “I’m positive”, Saito said, trying his best to restrain his smile, “Just stick with the plan. The sooner the better. Once Hinata sees that a beautiful girl like you could be interested in him, I bet it’ll all be over between him and Tsukishima.”

 _‘This is it’,_ Saito thought to himself, as the young woman before him babbled on relentlessly, _‘After all this time, after all this work, my plans are coming to fruition. And even if Kira somehow screws up, or if Hinata doesn’t take the bait, it’ll still be more than enough to work with to win Tsukishima over. And one day… one day, Tsukishima and I can look back on this whole ordeal and laugh.’_

“...So I was thinking that the Friday after next would be the ideal time to do it”, Kira said, finally ending her seemingly endless tirade. At this, the older man raised his eyebrow. “That long from now?”, he asked, “I thought we decided that it’d be best if you did it as soon as possible?”. “Yeah”, scoffed Kira, “and that pretty much _is_ as soon as possible-- as soon as practical, really, since my parents will be out of town.” “Ah”, Saito replied, “Makes sense. Okay-- let me know if you need any further help.”

Kira nodded, then, wiping away the tears that had once again made their way to her cheeks, smiled, “...Thank you so much for helping me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 

“Please”, replied Saito, “It’s my pleasure.”

 

 


	24. Broken Boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seemed like Tsukishima and Hinata were going to have a good day...
> 
> ...That is, until Tsukki got home from work and found a _very_ unwelcome guest in his apartment.

Things had become fairly stable for Tsukishima Kei and Hinata Shōyō over the course of the next few weeks. After their last huge fight, in which Hinata aggressively (and baselessly) accused Tsukishima of cheating on him with one of his customers, things seemed to level out, and the two young men found a comfortable pace at which they could not only coexist but thrive.

On the second Friday of August, Hinata was shocked to wake up to an empty bed. It took him a moment to piece the myriad sensations he was experiencing together, but once he did, he bounded out of his bedroom with a tremendous grin on his face, only to find Tsukki stirring something in a pan on the stove. “Oh”, remarked the blonde, looking behind him at the clock, “Good Morning! It’s 5:30 already?”. “‘5:30 already’?”, Hinata repeated, “Since when have you _ever_ been up before me voluntarily?”. Tsukki smirked then turned his attention back to his pan. “Well…”, started the blonde, “...since today is going to be such a busy day for you, I figured I’d get up early and make you some breakfast.” At this, Hinata grinned stupidly, and cooed, “Aww, _babe,_ you sacrificed your sleep for _me?”._ Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “Obviously. Well-- I mean, I _do_ get to go back to bed for a few more hours once you leave, but…”. Hinata walked over to the table, frowning as he pulled out his chair and sat. “...And you’re _sure_ you can’t make it to practice today?”, he asked sullenly. “Shō”, the blonde started, removing the pan from the stove and dividing its contents between two plates, “It’s not an official practice match. Tadashi said it’s no big deal if any of us can’t make it, since mostly it’ll just be some warm ups. We don’t have a full team right now, and we won’t until school starts again, so, in my opinion, it’s pointless to lose the hours at work-- especially since I wasn’t able to give Hayashi-san any notice.” Hinata pouted and lay his head on the table despondently, though he quickly perked up when his fiance placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of him.

“But”, Hinata protested with a full mouth a few minutes later, “Wuh if school startsh an’ you’re all ‘usty ‘cuz you didn’t practice?”. “...what if you ever swallowed your food before talking?”, responded Kei irritably before taking another bite of his own breakfast. “Sorry”, giggled the smaller man after clearing his mouth, “...but seriously, what if you’re not a starting player anymore?”. At this, Tsukki narrowed his eyes. “On second thought, you should probably fill your mouth again before more stupid things come out of it.”

A light flush rose to Hinata’s cheeks as he scooped up another forkful of eggs in silence. He didn’t _mean_ to offend his lover with the insinuation that two months off from volleyball could somehow mitigate the previous _years_ of practicing and honing his skills. In truth, he really just wanted to go back to doing his favorite thing with his favorite person; his words just came out wrong.

The time practically flew by, and soon the couple’s very rare, shared, pre-work breakfast was over and Hinata was headed off to work. “I love you”, the taller man said as he leaned down to kiss the smaller. “I love you too”, Hinata grinned back up at him. “I’m working until 6 today, so why don’t we plan to grab dinner when I’m done and maybe we could do a stay-in date night or something.” “Ooh, that sounds good!”, beamed Hinata. With one last kiss, the two parted- Hinata headed towards work and Tsukishima towards bed.

 

\---

 

It took the blonde longer than he’d care to admit to get up for work later that day. In general, he was a person who very much cherished any sleep he was able to get, and before Hinata he could _easily_ sleep 12 hours a day, once schoolwork, studying, and volleyball were complete. And though the blonde could readily admit that he loved Hinata more than he loved sleep, the actual process of sacrificing his sleep to make the redhead happy was positively _draining._

And so he trudged to work early that afternoon, dragging his feet and doing his best to stifle the parade of yawns that bubbled to the surface. It struck him as being a little bit sad that as he was taking his relatively short walk from his apartment to his job, somewhere across town, his beloved fireball was walking from his own job to their high school, to the first unofficial volleyball practice of the season. In truth, if he really wanted to, Kei was sure he would’ve been able to take the time off of work to go. However, deep in his heart, he didn’t _want_ to go. He didn’t want to rush the dawning of this, his final year of high school, any more than he needed to. As it was, he felt he’d been forced to grow up faster than he ever would’ve chosen for himself; between all of the burdens he bore as a child at the hands of his parent’s divorce and all the things that came with Shōyō’s accidental outing to his parents over two months prior, Tsukishima felt he was doing far more than the average seventeen year old should have to. He definitely didn’t hold any of the excess burdens against Shōyō or his mother, though he couldn’t help but be resentful when it came to Hinata’s father, or his own.

While musing about whose last name the boys would take when they got married-- as Kei couldn’t stand either of their fathers and, as such, couldn’t fathom carrying on either of their lineages-- his phone suddenly began vibrating wildly in his pocket. He was pleasantly surprised to find, upon pulling the device from his pants, that it was Hinata trying to reach him.

“Hey babe”, Tsukishima grinned into his phone, “How’s your day going?”. “Pretty good!”, chirped Hinata, “How bout yours?”. “Just getting started”, laughed the blonde, “Are you headed up to practice now?”. “Yep! And I guess you’re headed in to work?” “Yeah, I’m pretty much around the block”, Tsukki lamented. “Oh”, Hinata replied, “Well-- um-- I’ll just keep this short, then. I know that you and I kind of made plans this morning, but would you mind if we put them off for another day?”. “Oh?”, asked Tsukishima, intrigued and somewhat put off by the request. The redhead paused for a moment before continuing, “Well, um, Kira’s having a party tonight, and she pretty strongly hinted at it being a work thing, and said that I really should go.” “...A work thing?”, Tsukishima asked in total disbelief, “...Shōyō, aren’t _all_ of your coworkers _siblings?”._ “Well, yeah”, Hinata replied, “all except one of them. But I think there’ll be more people than just my coworkers there, I’m not really sure.”

From where he stood, Tsukishima could see the brick storefront of the bookshop he worked at. However, since he felt that this conversation was much more important than being early to work, he quickly ducked back around the corner he’d just emerged from, pressed his back to the wall of the corner store, and slid down it until he was seated on the sidewalk. “Shōyō”, he started, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, “...I can’t help but feel that this is a way for Kira to try to get close to you. She made it _quite_ clear that she likes you _like that.”_ “I don’t know--”, started Hinata, only to be interrupted immediately by his boyfriend. “Well I _do._ I’m the one who spoke with her, and she made her intentions _very_ clear. And, honestly, unless you’re planning on coming out to her beforehand and telling her about us, I’m not comfortable with you going to this thing.”

A series of frustrated noises came out of the other end of the phone, but no real words were spoken for a long minute until, after a long, exaggerated sigh, Hinata relented, _“Fine._ I won’t go. But if I get fired from my job because of it…” “I will take care of you”, sang Tsukishima sweetly. He could practically hear the smile in Hinata’s breathing. “Alright”, said the redhead, “Well, I guess our date is back on. I’ll see you at home then?”. Tsukishima nodded, pushing himself up off the ground. “Yep. I should be home between 6:30 and 7.” “Sounds good. I love you.” “I love you too.”

And with that, Kei felt comfortable ending his conversation and heading into work, confident that his day would hold no further surprises.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

 

\---

 

Tsukishima had a lot on his mind as he walked home from work at twenty to seven that night. Another shipment of the rare books Saito had ordered had arrived at the shop, but the young author hadn’t been in himself in over a week. Reflecting on it, Tsukki himself hadn’t seen Takeshi since they’d run into each other at the coffeeshop almost two weeks prior. This in and of itself wasn’t _unheard of,_ per se, but Saito also wasn’t answering their calls, even though they’d left him voice messages letting him know that his orders were in, and he still hadn’t gotten back to them-- and _that_ was unusual. Even if he was out of town doing book signings or promotions or research, he always made sure to check in, occasionally even going so far as to ask Tsukishima to bring the books to his apartment or to his publisher’s office. Such a long bout of total radio silence was… unnerving, to say the least.

The blonde had also been uncharacteristically distracted by the topic of his conversation with Hinata earlier that day. He wasn’t sure why, exactly, he was so unsettled by the thought that Kira was persisting in spite of all that he had said; all he knew was that it bothered him. As he pondered it, several possible explanations flittered through his mind. One notion was simply the degree of disrespect that Shōyō’s coworker was displaying towards the redhead’s unnamed fiancé-- surely this spoke quite a bit towards Kira’s character, that she was willing to sabotage a deeply committed relationship for her own selfish goals. A brief chill went up Tsukki’s spine at the thought of people like that actually _existing_ in this world-- people who connived and schemed, existing solely to break up otherwise happy relationships. It was not a pleasant thought for the young blonde. He would usually describe himself as a pessimist, but a realization that such people existed was taking his dark perspective on humanity a little bit too far. Another thought on why Kira’s persistence bothered him was how open and vulnerable Shōyō always was. He knew for a fact that Shō loved him, even if they’d been having some issues lately, but there was no denying that the redhead was way too trusting for his own good. He let _everyone_ in, and did his best to help anyone in any way he could; Kei wouldn’t be surprised if his altruistic nature would get him into more trouble than he could handle one day…

On top of all of that, Tsukki also felt a slight pang of guilt when he thought back on the practice that he missed earlier that day. He knew that, if he’d asked Hayashi-san, he’d almost certainly have been able to take the time off, even without any notice, let alone the two days notice that Yamaguchi had given the team. The truth was-- though it was hard to admit-- that even though, as he’d thought to himself earlier in the day, he definitely _wasn’t_ over eager to start his final year of high school prematurely, the real reason that he’d missed practice was that he wasn’t ready to face Yamaguchi, given his somewhat new knowledge of his best friends former feelings for them. He knew for a fact that Yamaguchi had moved on-- he was in a relationship with Yachi, and the two really seemed to suit one another-- but still… the idea that Yamaguchi had confessed and Kei never discussed it (or worse: the idea that the two boys discussed it while the blonde was heavily under the influence of pain medication, and therefore had no recollection of what he may have said or done in response) tortured Tsukki. He knew he had to bring it up with Yamaguchi. He just wasn’t sure how.

Suffice to say, Tsukishima had a lot on to think about throughout his walk home. His mind was elsewhere as he fished his keys out from his pocket and inserted them into the lock, paying zero mind to the mundane, everyday activity he’d repeated countless times since moving in. He was still deep in thought when he repeated this motion once more at the top of the stairs, stepping in to his apartment and closing the door gently behind him before slipping off his shoes.

“Kei!”, gasped Hinata as he slid into view, “You’re home! Uh--”. The redhead quickly embraced the taller man before pulling back; his affect was off, but Kei couldn’t exactly place it. “--um… So uh-- well-- Okay, so I have a um-- a-- _surprise_ for you, but-- before I show you-- um--”, the redhead stammered, looking everywhere but Tsukki’s eyes, “--I need you to promise that you’ll-- uh-- give it a chance, and-- um-- _not get mad.”_ The blonde laughed and asked, “What, did you find a stray dog or something?”. Shōyō anxiously glanced into the apartment. “Uh… not quite. Just…”. Hinata reached down and took Tsukishima’s hands in his own. Looking up into the blonde’s eyes, Shōyō begged, “Just-- just, _please,_ promise you won’t get mad.” Tsukki smiled softly and shrugged, “I’ll do my best.”

Hinata gently took Kei’s right hand in his and slowly led the taller boy into the living room…

...where all bets immediately went out the window.

Seated on the small armchair adjacent to the couch was the person who easily claimed the title of Tsukishima Kei’s least favorite person alive: his father, Tsukishima Rokuro.

Tsukki instantly felt the claws of a panic attack gripping his chest: _Why was_ **_he_ ** _here? What was_ **_he_ ** _doing in_ **_Kei’s_ ** _apartment? And why was Shōyō going along with it…?_

“Hello, Kei”, came the deep, gravelly voice from across the room, “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. I just want to talk. Come… sit.” The older man gestured to the couch beside him, and suddenly the tall blonde felt his panic subsiding, being replaced, instead, with the purest fires of rage.

 _“You’re_ going to tell _me_ to sit in _my own home?!”,_ Tsukki spat, “How _dare_ you? I am quite certain that I’ve made it abundantly clear that I want _nothing_ to do with you. So what the _hell_ are you doing here?”.

“Kei”, begged a small voice from beside him, gripping his hand tightly, “You promised you’d do your best not to get mad…”. Tsukki looked down at Hinata in disgust. He still wasn’t sure _why_ his father was in his apartment, but he knew for certain that the young redhead had played a part in this betrayal. He knew that he’d made his opinion of his father very clear to Shōyō, too, so at this point his appearance in their apartment was nothing less than a willful ignorance of the blonde’s wants, desires, and boundaries.

Tsukki was feeling trapped again, and wanted nothing more than to run away. But did he really want to leave his estranged father and his fiance alone together? Kei pulled his hand from Hinata’s, drawing a small sob from the redhead.

Turning back to the older man seated in his apartment, the blonde summoned up his strength and announced, “You had your chance to talk ten years ago. But you chose to talk to your secretary instead. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“Kei!”, cried Hinata again, and this time Tsukki could tell just by the inflection of his voice that he was crying, _“Please_ , I’m begging you, just sit and hear him out! _Please!”. ‘Oh’,_ the blonde thought to himself as he glanced at his partner, _‘You mean how I begged you not to get involved in my relationship with my dad? Yet here we are.’_

It took a great deal of effort but, reluctantly, Tsukki kept his mouth shut and threw himself onto the furthest end of the couch away from his father. Without saying a word, he fished out his phone from his pocket, lighting up the screen before allowing it to fall dark once more. “You have five minutes”, he said curtly, folding his arms and resigning himself to the conversation he had no interest in having.

After a brief glance exchanged between the two older men, Rokuro cleared his throat, adjusted his rimless glasses, and began speaking. “Well, Kei, I’ll keep it short and sweet: …”. The older man paused, and though it seemed as though he’d really intended to do as he’d initially said, his voice seemed to catch, and he struggled to get it back. It took a long moment, but eventually-- with a small crack in his voice-- he pressed on, “...my youngest son is dying. He has a rare, advanced-stage bone marrow cancer, and there’s nothing they can do about it. He won’t respond to chemo. All it does is make him sick. He can’t eat. Can’t sleep. At best he has a month left. At worst, well… I could get a call at any second.” Tsukki’s stomach turned, but it wasn’t exactly sympathy he was feeling. “So what are you doing _here?”,_ he spat, “Why bother a son who loathes you when you have a son who supposedly needs you?” “Kei!”, gasped Hinata, shocked that his partner could be so callous.

“No-- no, it’s fine, Hinata-kun, I didn’t expect him to believe me”, the older man said as he carefully threaded his right hand inside his suit jacket, fishing around for a moment before withdrawing an envelope. He extended it to Tsukishima, who simply glared at it, before Hinata ultimately accepted the offering. “In there you’ll find some of the documentation of Hiroshi’s illness. We first noticed him acting _‘off’_ at the end of March, got him to see a specialist by May, and got the diagnosis last month. But-- you don’t have to take my word for it. It’s all there in black and white.”

The blonde shifted uncomfortably. “I still don’t understand… Why are you telling _me_ all this?”, he asked, looking anywhere but at his father.

“Well”, started the dark haired man, his face beginning to reflect an equal level of discomfort, “To be perfectly honest with you, I had always hoped that, one day, I’d be able to bring all of my children together. I guess I’d hoped that, with enough time, you and Akiteru would maybe be able to forgive and forget but… well… Hiro’s disease has made me reconsider my timeline for that.” At this, Tsukki scoffed in disgust. “Really?”, he asked, appalled, “You think that some sob story is really gonna make Akiteru and I forget about what you did to us-- what you did to _Mom?”._ Rokuro leaned forward, folding his hands and propping his elbows on his knees. “I don’t really know that it’s my place to tell you this, Kei, but it seems like Akiteru already has.” “W- what?”, the blonde stammered, “What do you mean?”. “Well”, started the older man, “While your brother made it _quite_ clear that he currently has no intention of so much as speaking to my wife, he _has_ already spoken with both Hiro and Aimi on the phone already, and has plans to go up to the hospital next week.”

Something inside of Kei was burning. He felt as if he was on fire, alight with an anger that scarcely made sense to him. As difficult as it was, though, he did not let this anger reflect on the surface; at least, not any more than the anger he was already portraying. For some reason, he felt as if the man across the room from him was actively trying to provoke him, though he couldn’t say exactly why that was. In fact, it almost felt as if his father was trying to pit him against Akiteru.

Shrugging ever so slightly and doing his best to speak aloofly, Kei said, “Akiteru is an adult. He’s free to make his own decisions. As am I. And-- _sorry--_ I don’t care _what_ your sob story is, I don’t forgive and forget that easily.”

The room was silent for a long moment as everyone digested the words that had just come from the blonde’s mouth. Ultimately it was Hinata who spoke first, turning to Kei and asking, “I’m sorry-- Can I speak with you privately for a moment?”. Tsukki raised an eyebrow before nodding, “Uhh, sure”. Hinata got up, politely excused them once more to the elder Tsukishima, then headed off towards their bedroom; Kei followed, closing their bedroom door gently behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, Hinata, who’d had his back to Tsukki, turned to face the blonde and, in a loud whisper, ‘yelled’, “Kei, how _could you?”._ Tsukki, who was taken aback by this sudden confrontation, began to feel the anger he’d previously repressed building up inside of him once more. “How could _I?!”,_ he scoffed, making no particular effort to keep his voice down, “How could **_I?!_**   Shōyō, _you’re_ the one who completely and totally violated _my_ trust by doing the _one thing_ I asked you not to do!” “He’s your _father!”,_ Hinata said, a little louder than he’d intended, “I’m just trying to help you!”. “Yeah, by completely ignoring what I’ve asked you to do!”, Tsukki spat. Hinata was incredulous. “Kei, whether you admit it or not, he’s your _dad._ Somewhere, deep down inside of you, you love him-- which is why his actions hurt you so bad. I’m just trying to help you move past that hurt and have a relationshi--” “No”, interrupted Tsukishima, “I know what you’re _trying_ to do, and if you’d just fucking _listen_ to me, you’d understand perfectly well why it’ll never work. That man out there means no more to me than if you’d brought a stranger in from off the street. You want to know why his actions hurt me? I’ll tell you _again,_ since apparently you didn’t fucking listen the first hundred times I told you: his actions hurt Akiteru and my mom, who both _actually_ loved him. I have no love for someone who will willingly abandon his family to go fuck his secretary. I want nothing to do with him or his new family. If he didn’t leave us-- if he had anything to do with raising us-- it might have been different. But he didn’t, so it isn’t. Is that all you called me in here for?”.

Ignoring the taller boy’s question, Hinata pressed on. “You might have _yourself_ convinced of all of that, but I _know_ you. I know that beneath your cold, uncaring exterior, you--” “Look”, interrupted Kei as he headed to the door, “You can’t use my relationship with my dad as a substitute for _your_ relationship with _your_ dad. Our dads both did shitty things for shitty reasons, but my dad’s shitty thing wasn’t based in ignorance or stupidity or ‘the heat of the moment’. He _chose_ to have an affair. He _chose_ to leave his wife and kids, and go start over. And it’s only now that things are going wrong that he feels the need to reconcile. _Fuck that._ You can miss your dad-- whatever. But I swear to God, if you do this again, I’m leaving you, no matter how much I love you. I’m not going to be disrespected in my own fucking home like this.”

With that, Tsukishima left the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

He completely ignored his father and continued to the front door where he quickly slipped on his shoes and ducked out the door to his apartment. By the time he let the front door of the building click behind him, he could hear little more than his heart pounding in his ears-- the panic attack that he’d staved off when he first met eyes his father's less than twenty minutes earlier had returned in full force, and it was only exacerbated when he very clearly heard his name being yelled in the apartment upstairs.

He was just about to begin running, with no clear destination in mind, when a familiar face cut through the blur of his hazy thoughts: there, at the end of his block, was Saito, stepping out of a car, silhouetted by the setting sun. Saito looked equally surprised to see Tsukishima, but smiled pleasantly at the blonde anyway. It was clear that he had just come from some sort of signing or event, judging by the finely tailored suit he wore, his hair slightly messed, a grin standing out behind aviator sunglasses. “Tsukishima!”, he smiled, waving to the blonde, who jogged quickly over. “Uh-- hey-- um--”, started the younger man, glancing quickly back to his apartment, “Sorry to impose, but uh-- can I ask you for a ride?”.

“Oh?”, asked Saito, lowering his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose, “Where to?”

“Anywhere”, gasped Kei, glancing back once more.

Saito stepped aside, holding the door open for the blonde.

“Hop in”, he grinned, gesturing grandly, climbing in to the back of the car as soon as the younger man was seated.

Less than thirty seconds later, when Hinata and Rokuro reached the street, there was not even the slightest indication of which direction Kei had headed in.

 

 


	25. Snake in the Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima and Saito have a long conversation about why Tsukki was in such a hurry to leave his apartment.

Tsukishima Kei wasn’t exactly sure what had happened; one minute he was running out his front door practically in tears after a nasty confrontation with both his fiance and his own father, the next minute he was in the apartment of one of his customers, drinking his third glass of wine of the evening, ignoring his phone that had been ringing off the hook and preparing to tell said customer what would essentially amount to a very diluted story of his life. Somehow the blonde missed how those two events transitioned into one another.

“Anyway”, continued Saito, who’d been explaining his own two-week-long disappearance to the blonde, “We’d just gotten in from the research trip, and I told Tatsumi that before I could go home, I _had_ to check in with the publishing house and see if your check was ready.” “ _My_ check?”, echoed the blonde in confusion. “Yeah”, nodded the older man, sipping his own glass of wine, “For working with me a few weeks back. They said they’d contact me for your details and they never did. And I thought about that on the plane ride back today, so the first thing I did was go down to accounting and _demand_ that they print one up _immediately._ ” “You didn’t need to do that...”, started Tsukishima. “Oh, but I did!”, continued the auburn-haired man, “They never even _got_ my invoice! So I told Tatsumi that I was gonna get my own car and I was gonna hand deliver your check right to your door. It’s a good thing you gave me your address--” All of a sudden it dawned on Tsukishima; the blonde turned to look at Saito with wide eyes and gasped, “So _that’s_ why you were in front of my house earlier!”. “Yes!”, nodded Saito eagerly, “I was bringing you your check! And, actually”--the older man stood and crossed the room; he quickly rooted through the pocket of the blazer that was hung by the front door, extracting an envelope before returning to the couch where the two men had been seated--”here! The full ¥850000, as we discussed. And, I talked to my publisher and told him how efficient you were, and he said that if it’s really something that you’re into, he’d be more than willing to discuss a paid internship with you once you graduate high school.” Tsukki opened the envelope and gawked at the check; he couldn’t really process what he was seeing. He’d never held anything _near_ that amount before, and it was for such a minimal amount of work… He knew he’d be foolish to turn down the offer to intern at Saito’s publishing company; it wasn’t every day that a 17 year old got the opportunity to make life-changing amounts of money.

“So anyway”, continued the older man, “You were about to tell me what you were so upset about that you were so desperate for a ride to literally anywhere?”. Tsukishima nodded and took another sip of his wine. He still wasn’t too big on the taste of alcohol in general, but the wine that Saito had served him was fairly sweet and went down easily. He glanced to his phone again and saw that the total number of missed calls from Shōyō had climbed to seventeen.

“Well”, started the blonde, “It’s a really long story.” “I’ve got nothing but time”, laughed Saito, loosening his tie as he made himself comfortable on the couch. Tsukki also sat back, thought for a moment, and continued, “Well… not to be too cliche, but it all starts back when I was 8.” At this, the older man laughed. “Wow-- you weren’t kidding-- _that_ far back?!”. The blonde shot the older man a playful glare, and Saito grinned broadly and said, “Sorry-- continue.” With another sip from his glass, Tsukki pressed on. “My dad cheated on my mom with his secretary, knocked up the secretary, and left our family for her.” “Oh shit”, whispered the older man, “That must’ve been so hard for you.” “Not really”, shrugged the blonde, “It just sucked to see the impact it had on my brother and my mom. I was never really close to my dad, but it really hurt the two of them. My mom worked two jobs for most of my childhood, trying her hardest to scrape by, while my asshole father did his best to evict us from our home. He never made an effort to see my brother or I, but then one day a few years ago, he started sending money directly to my brother and I-- probably so my mom couldn’t get her hands on it. We offered to give it to her, to help with bills and stuff, but she refused, and told us to save it in case there was something we wanted and she couldn’t afford to get for us. But, of course, at this point she had a pretty stable career and we were doing okay as a family.” “Sounds like a good woman”, nodded Saito as he poured off both of their glasses.

“To switch gears here for a minute”, continued Tsukishima, noting that his head was beginning to swim a little bit, “...my boyfriend and I have been together for about a year and a half. We were out at school, but kept our relationship a secret otherwise. You see, his parents had a life planned for him already. He was supposed to settle down, marry a nice girl, have two kids, get a government job, and move into the house across the street from them. As for me, well-- in case you couldn’t tell, I’m a pretty private person” “--unless you get alcohol in you”, laughed Saito. Tsukishima frowned, which only further encouraged the older man’s laughter. _“Anyway”,_ continued the blonde, “My point is, we were out at school, but in the closet otherwise. Shōyō’s guidance counselor had no idea that our relationship was a secret so, last June, he accidentally outed us to Shōyō’s dad. ...it did not go well. But that’s a tale for another time.” “Aww”, whined Saito, who was clearly getting into the story. “Shōyō got kicked out and wound up moving in with my family, but after some more drama, I decided to move out for both our safety and the safety of my family.” “Makes sense”, nodded Saito.

“But”, started Tsukki. “There’s always a ‘but’”, the older man nodded again. “My father’s sister is a real estate magnate. As much as it killed me to reach out to that side of my family, I knew she’d be able to help me out. Because otherwise, I wasn’t sure _who_ would rent an apartment to a minor with a brand new job, no renting history, who was still in high school… I mean, I had more than enough saved up for a sizeable down payment, but I had no credit history or anything.” “Smart of you to think of those things”, Saito mused, swirling his glass, “Nothing like that would’ve been on my mind at seventeen.” “Well. My aunt rented the apartment to us, I (obviously) got a job. Shōyō got a job soon after. And, at one point, my aunt asked to meet up for lunch. At that luncheon, who should suddenly show up but my dad!” “No!”, gasped Saito. Tsukki couldn’t help but grin at what an active listener the older man was being, even if he felt that some of it was over-exaggerated. “Yep”, the blonde nodded, sipping on his refilled glass, noting that his phone was illuminated yet again, “That’s actually the day that I ran into you at that fancy french restaurant. And I wound up freaking out and coming out to my aunt and dad before leaving. The next day my dad showed up at my apartment, where I left before he had the chance to say a word to me. That night Shōyō and I had an argument, because he felt like I should forgive my dad, but I felt like he was just saying that because he was still hurt because he was rejected by his own. I asked him to stay out of my relationship with my father and thought that would be the end of that.” “Let me guess”, smirked Saito, “That _wasn’t_ the end of that?”. Tsukki frowned and shook his head. “Nope.”

“Well… This morning Shōyō and I had a little bit of a disagreement. One of his coworkers is having a party that he wanted to go to, but that coworker has made some unsavory remarks that I wasn’t really happy about, so I asked him not to go. I don’t know if he was upset with me or what but when I got home from work tonight… My dad was there.” “In your apartment?”, Saito asked, astonished. Tsukki nodded. _“In my apartment._ Apparently Shōyō had let him in.” “Even though you specifically told him to stay out of your relationship with your dad?” “Yep.”

“Well”, started Saito,  setting his glass down on the coffee table, “What did your dad want? It had to be something pretty important for him to keep violating your boundaries, right?”. Tsukishima finished the contents of his own glass and shrugged. “He had two children with his secretary. Apparently one of those children is dying. He wants me and my brother to forgive him for leaving us behind and wants us to meet his other kids.” Saito frowned. “How do you feel about that?”, he asked gently, moving slightly closer on the couch to the blonde. “Honestly?”, Tsukki asked, hanging his head and sighing, “I don’t care. I know that makes me a callous person, but this child is as good as a stranger to me. And-- sure-- kids dying from cancer is a sad topic, but I don’t see why I should visit this one specific child that I don’t know any better than if I were to wander into a hospital and pick a dying child there.” Saito nodded, “Makes sense.” At this, Tsukki’s head snapped up. “W- what?”, he asked, not sure that he’d heard the older man correctly. Saito cocked his head, unsure of what to make of Tsukishima’s reaction. “I said that it makes sense. I think that’s a pretty logical approach to the situation you’re in.” “You… do?”, asked the younger man again. “Yeah”, Saito nodded. “I mean, you didn’t _ask_ for your father to completely abandon you. You didn’t ask for him to have other kids-- and other kids that he failed to integrate into your life at an early age. And you didn’t ask for him to come back into your life way too late to be asking things of you. I can’t say that I wouldn’t be reacting the same if I were in your shoes.”

Tsukki sat back on the couch and felt himself exhale for the first time since he walked into his apartment earlier that day. He’d spent the entire evening feeling like everything he’d done-- every reaction he’d had-- was completely wrong. His own boyfriend-- the man who was supposed to love him more than anything-- was too wrapped up in his own problems to even _consider_ that there might be some validity to how he was feeling. And yet, here Tsukki was, sitting in the apartment of a man who, mere months ago, was a total stranger, who had more empathy for him than just about anyone else did. It definitely gave him something to think about.

“How did your brother react?”, Saito asked, breaking through the blonde’s silent thoughts. A visible shudder ran through Tsukki, and he turned to the older man and frowned. “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but my dad said that Akiteru has already spoken with my father’s other children, and that he’s planning on going up to the hospital next week.” All Saito could say was, “Ouch.” After a moment, Tsukishima replied, “Yeah…”.

After another long moment of silence, the auburn-haired man turned to Tsukishima and asked, “So, I mean, I obviously get why you were upset, but was there anything that actually, like, made you take off the way you did?”. Tsukki nodded solemnly. “Shōyō was upset that I wasn’t being _‘more compassionate’._ Apparently he fell for my father’s sob story and, as I told you, he was already of the opinion that I should forgive him, just on the basis that he misses his own family. So basically he asked to speak to me privately, and tried to shame me for not giving into his requests. And, well. I told him I wasn’t going to stand around and be insulted in my own apartment. So I left. I was really lucky that you were there, because I have no idea where I was gonna go, and Shōyō is _way_ faster than I am, so there’s no way I would’ve been able to outrun him.”

Saito leaned back on the couch and folded his arms behind his head. He exhaled loudly before saying, “Man, Tsukishima, that is _some_ story. You’ve been through a _lot. ..._ I have to say, man, I’m really impressed.” “...impressed?”, repeated the blonde. “Yeah”, nodded Saito, “I never would’ve guessed you had so much going on at home. You do so well to keep your composure.” Tsukki shrugged. “Thanks, I guess. I try to do what I can to not bring my issues to work with me.”

As the two sat in another lull in conversation, a loud sound pierced the silence of Saito’s apartment. The older man frowned and pushed himself up from the couch. “Excuse me for a moment”, he said quietly, “That’s my business phone, which, unfortunately, I contractually _have_ to answer. I’ll be right back.” Tsukki nodded, and once the older man exited the room, the blonde turned his attention to his own phone, which had been notably dark for several minutes.

He had quite a few notifications. He’d missed twenty calls from Hinata. There were two calls from a phone number he didn’t know, which he had to assume was his father’s-- _‘Great’,_ he thought to himself, _‘Shōyō gave him my number, too’._ He’d missed two calls from Akiteru, and another three from his mother. And, while he wasn’t too eager to speak to his brother who, if his father’s reports were true, he felt had betrayed their unspoken pact, he _did_ feel that he owed his mother a call back. Before that, though, he wanted to finish checking his notifications. Hinata sent him a handful of text messages too, ranging from “Where r u” to “Kei, I’m sorry, Pls come back” to (most alarmingly) “Since ur not replying, im just gonna go 2 Kira’s party. Text me when ur done being imature.” Tsukki sighed and shook his head. _‘Typical’,_ he thought to himself. Akiteru and Yamaguchi both also texted asking where he was and if he was okay but, again, he wasn’t feeling particularly inclined to answer.

Looking behind him to make sure that Saito was still out of the room, Tsukki quickly dialed his mother’s phone number. It rang once before being picked up. “Hello?!”, his mother demanded more than asked. “Hi mom”, he said in as calm and sober a voice as he could muster. “Kei!”, she exclaimed, “Where are you?! We’ve been worried sick! Shōyō said--” “I’m at a friend’s house”, Tsukki interrupted. His mother paused, unused to being interrupted by her sons, before asking, “Who? What ‘friend’?”. “A friend from work”, he replied casually, “You don’t know him.” “Shōyō said you two had a fight and you just stormed out of the house. Do you really think you should be at some other guy’s house right now? Shouldn’t you go home and try to work it out?”. For the first time in a long time, Kei felt himself growing frustrated with his mother. Trying hard to control his tone, Tsukki replied, “Did Shōyō bother to tell you _why_ we’re fighting? ...I’ll take your silence as a no. For your information, Shōyō decided to allow _your_ ex husband into our apartment, where the two of them tried to railroad me into a relationship with him and his kids.” After a long pause, Tsukki’s mother sighed. “Oh, _Kei._ I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know how hard that must have been for you. But you _know_ that Shōyō doesn’t understand. He hasn’t been through the things that you’ve been through.” Tsukki rolled his eyes. “Mom, I know you’re trying to help, but right now I really don’t care. I love him, but I need some time to recover from the shit he’s put me through today.” Kei’s words were met with a long silence, in which he was sure his mother was biting her tongue, before she said, “Alright, honey. You’re a man now, and I’ll respect your decision. I’ll let everyone know that you’re okay. Just… just don’t do anything that you’ll regret, okay?”. “I won’t, Mom.” “Alright. I love you, son.” “I love you too. Bye.”

“Everyone worried about you?”, came a voice from behind Tsukki, making the young blonde jump in his seat. “Oh, sorry!”, exclaimed Saito as he walked over to the couch, “Didn’t mean to scare you. I just didn’t want to interrupt your conversation. That was just Tatsumi confirming our conference call for Monday-- I don’t know why he couldn’t just text me about it.”

Saito threw himself down on the couch beside Tsukki and sighed. “Tsukishima”, started the older man, “Can I ask you a question?”. The blonde nodded. “Well-- I don’t mean to be offensive or anything but-- why are you with this _Shōyō?_ From what I’ve heard, he’s extremely insensitive to your feelings and needs, he’s controlling, he’s insecure and potentially even _embarrassed_ of your relationship… I mean, what do you get out of being with him that you couldn’t get from someone else?”.

Tsukki sat there in thought for a moment before croaking, “Wow… uh-- that was a loaded question.” “Sorry”, frowned Saito, “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” “No, it’s okay”, Tsukki said, shaking his head, “If I weren’t the one in the relationship, I’d probably be wondering that too. Actually, I guess I sometimes still wonder it. But, well… Simply put, I love him. He’s the first person I’ve ever had any sort of romantic feelings for. I sacrificed a lot to be with him, and at the end of the day, I’d do it all over again.”

Saito sat there and nodded for a long moment before repositioning his body so he could look Tsukishima in the eye. “Can I be perfectly blunt with you?”, he asked. Again Kei nodded. “As lovely as that all sounds… it sounds rehearsed. Not a single word you said sounded like a practical reason to be with someone. I mean, I asked why you were with him, right? I get ‘love’ being an answer, but you never said anything about, say, his personality complementing yours. You didn’t say anything about anything that he brings to the table. You didn’t say anything about future goals or dreams, or even things that you admire about him. Your sole answer, in spite of all of the fluffy words you used for it, was that you love him.”

Tsukki sat and considered this for a while-- probably longer than he should’ve. He loved Hinata. He knew it with every fiber of his being. But _why_ did he love him? What was it about his bubbly redhead that had made his heart skip a beat every time he thought of him?

After letting Tsukishima stew in his thoughts for what he felt was an adequate period of time, Saito pressed further. “I mean, I _know_ you’re a smart man. Does he stimulate you intellectually? ...You’re definitely a hard worker. Is he equally capable of taking care of _you?_ We already determined tonight that he’s not even remotely sensitive to your emotional needs. I mean, Tsukishima, you’re so young and are going through so much, and I have to ask: are you being taken care of in _any_ way?”.

Tsukki’s phone lit up again, and from where he sat, he could see that Hinata had sent him an address. He began to feel really annoyed, as if the redhead was only trying to rub in the fact that he’d gone to Kira’s party after all. It only seemed to reinforce Saito’s point: Hinata really _didn’t_ bring much to the table in their relationship. Feeling frustrated, the blonde reached out and flipped his phone over, turning it face-down on the coffee table.

A moment later, Saito scooted closer, so that his leg was flush with Tsukki’s, and took the blonde’s left hand in his. The younger man looked up at him quizzically. “Tsukishima”, the older man started, “I know we haven’t known each other for very long… but it absolutely _pains_ me to see you trapped in a relationship where you’re being taken for granted. You are worth so much more than the situation you’ve put yourself in. You _deserve_ someone who will treat you like a king-- who would do literally anything for you, just because they’re grateful to have you in their lives. You deserve to be stimulated, intellectually, emotionally, physically, and romantically. You deserve to be taken care of financially, and not have to worry about working some stupid part time job until you know what it is that you _want_ to do! Tsukishima-- let _me_ take care of you. Leave Hinata. I’ll give you everything you need and more.”

Tsukki felt as if he’d stepped into the twilight zone; what was happening today?

“Um-- I appreciate the offer but, like I said, I’m in love with Shōyō…”, he said gently, glancing down to his hand clasped between Saito’s. “And what has that love gotten you?”, asked the older man, “Heartbreak? Betrayal? I mean-- look at your situation now! You’re sitting here in my apartment, while Hinata is who knows where-- probably at Kira’s house at this point, and who _knows_ what will happen there.” All of a sudden, a handful of things inside Tsukishima’s head clicked, and the blonde felt himself growing nauseous. “What do you mean? What kind of things?”, he asked, doing his best to sound heartbroken. “Well, you know”, frowned Saito, “Since things are so uncertain between you two, and since Kira is so aggressive about how she feels for Hinata.”

Tsukki sat for a moment longer, allowing himself to process things, before suddenly standing. “...You were behind all of this, weren’t you?”, he asked suddenly, ripping his hand from Saito’s. “W- what?”, the older man asked, clearly caught off guard. Tsukki picked up his phone and though his heart skipped a beat, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why didn’t I see it sooner?”, asked the blonde, doing his best to stave off the manic laughter that seemed to be trying to take over, “Everything has _always_ pointed to you. Shōyō used to talk about a customer who kept saying that he and Kira looked cute together-- but, Shōyō’s such an airhead that he literally cannot remember people’s names without their faces attached, unless it’s someone he knows well. It should’ve clicked when we ran into you at the coffee shop a few weeks ago. It should’ve clicked when I saw how familiar Kira was with you, or how familiar you were with Shōyō. I blame myself for failing to notice all of these things. But now that you’ve shown your hand, and in such an _obvious_ manner-- I mean, I may be a little drunk, but I don’t think any amount of wine would ever let me overlook the fact that I’ve never referred to Shōyō as ‘Hinata’ to you, or that you magically knew what my issue with his coworker was-- and which coworker it was. In all honesty, I never had any reason to suspect that you would be trying to sabotage my relationship. You always seemed so genuine and sincere. And, to top it off, Shōyō was always so _crazy_ insecure about me hanging out with you that I gueess I doubled down on my stance that your intentions were nothing but good. Ha! Shows how little I know!”

“Tsukishima…”, started Saito, who slowly stood up, “It’s not what it looks like. I can explain…”. “You can explain?”, Tsukki asked incredulously, “I’d _love_ to hear _any_ explanation that somehow _isn’t_ about how you’ve been actively trying to break my fiance and I up pretty much since _the day_ we met.” Saito floundered, stumbling over his words, and the blonde allowed himself to laugh once more. “That’s what I thought.”

With that, Kei grabbed his check from the coffee table and stormed out of Saito’s apartment. He forwent the elevator, choosing, instead, to leap down the stairs. Once he got out to the street he pulled out his phone and pulled up the last message he saw from Hinata, which had apparently come in right after Tsukki flipped his phone over:

 **Shōyō ♡ (8:56pm):** 128 Cedar Street  
**Shōyō ♡ (8:58pm):** help

After making a quick phone call and plugging an address into his phone’s GPS, Tsukki texted his boyfriend back:

  
**Kei ♡(ŐωŐ人) (9:12pm):** I love you and will be there as soon as I can

 


	26. Blur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata struggles with Kei's sudden disappearance from their apartment.

It took Hinata an embarrassingly long time to realize that Kei had actually left the apartment during their fight. He thought the blonde had simply stormed off to give his dad a piece of his mind or, better yet, took the redhead’s words to heart but was too stubborn to say so and was trying to reconcile with his father. It was only once Rokuro knocked on Shōyō’s bedroom door and asked, “Uhh, Hinata? Is everything okay? ...Cuz Kei walked out a minute ago…”, that the redhead realized that he had a problem. He dashed to the door, flinging it open and yelling, “Kei?!”, down the staircase. He was unsurprised when there was no answer. Hinata flung himself down the stairs and ran out to the street, where there was no sign of his partner. “...Kei?”, he called once more, eyes welling up with tears.

A firm hand gripped Shōyō’s shoulder. The redhead looked up and was somewhat surprised to see his boyfriend’s father solemnly looking down at him. “I’m sorry, Hinata-kun”, Rokuro sighed, squeezing the young man’s shoulder slightly, “I shouldn’t have come. I knew it was a long shot.” “No”, said Shōyō quietly, wiping his eyes before the tears could fall, “I’m sorry. I thought Kei would be more understanding.” The older man shook his head. “At the end of the day, I should’ve known better. I’m sorry. I only hope that one day he’ll come around.”

The two stood in the street and spoke for a few more minutes before bidding one another goodbye for what would likely be a very long time. Rokuro gave Hinata his phone number and encouraged his son’s fiance to contact him if he ever needed anything, even if Kei was too stubborn to do the same. And with that, Hinata watched the father of his beloved drive off into the evening before slowly trudging up the stairs to his apartment.

Once the door was closed behind him and his shoes were off and neatly tucked away (for once), Hinata slowly walked into the middle of the living room and just sat down on the cold hardwood floor. He felt… very empty. There was a piece of him that was having trouble reconciling how Tsukki had acted with how he’d expected Tsukki to act, and he still couldn’t believe that his own fiance had walked out on him in the middle of an argument. He looked around at their home and realized that he was truly and sincerely _alone._ He no longer really had any friends. His former best friend-- Kageyama-- had really hurt their friendship when he tried to steal Hinata from Tsukishima over a year and a half ago and Kei, understandably, had trouble letting that be water under the bridge. To his credit, though, Kei did _try._ But Hinata really didn’t want to put his fiance in a situation where he was forced to be uncomfortable, so he really had no choice but to put some distance between himself and Kageyama outside of school. He practically never saw his friends from middle school anymore, either, and now that all of his other friends were going to college, Hinata’s choices were limited. He also no longer had any family. His parents had moved away and, even worse, they’d moved in with his only other family-- his grandmother-- so it wasn’t even like he could call her. Not-- he’d only just realized-- that he knew his grandmother’s number. His father had destroyed his cell phone which had previously held every phone number he’d ever known. While he’d been able to get many of them back (mostly through social media), he no longer had any phone numbers belonging to any members of his family. What a depressing realization.

Feeling absolutely hopeless, Hinata pulled his phone out and tried calling Tsukishima a few times, and was heartbroken when he was sent to voicemail for the fifth time. He then decided to switch tactics and sent a text to the blonde, asking simply, “Where r u?”. He sat there for a few minutes, eyes welling up with tears as his mind cycled through countless scenarios as to why Kei wouldn’t be responding, until Hinata couldn’t take it anymore. He finally broke down and called the only other person he could think to call: Tsukki’s mom.

The phone rang twice before the blonde woman answered. “Hey sweetie”, she called, “Is everything okay? I’m at work right now.” Hinata bit his lip, trying to decide whether or not to tell the woman he’d grown to love like a mother about what was going on. “Shōyō?”, she asked, “Are you okay?”. Finally the redhead sobbed, “Kei and I just had a really big fight, and he stormed out of the apartment and disappeared, and I have no idea where he went, and he’s not picking up his phone, and-- and--” With that, the redhead finally broke down sobbing. On the other end of the phone, the elder Tsukishima’s heart broke as she cooed, “Oh, _Shōyō,_ sweetheart… it’ll be okay… I’m sure he’s just blowing off steam. Give him some time. I’ll try calling him now, and I’ll give you a call when I’m done working, okay baby?”. “O- okay”, sobbed the redhead. “Let me know if you hear from him. It’ll be okay, I promise. I love you. Don’t get too down.” “I-- I love you too. Thank you”, the redhead sniffled.

As soon as he hung up, he sent his beloved yet another text, tears streaming down his face as he wrote, “Kei, I’m sorry, pls come back”. He tried calling a few more times before ultimately giving up and laying back against the cold, hardwood floor.

And it was while he was there, laying on the living room floor in tears, throwing himself what he felt was a well-deserved pity party, that his phone began ringing out from where he’d replaced it within his pants pocket. Hinata quickly fished his phone out, heart a little lighter at the thought of Tsukki finally calling to apologize and to tell him he was coming home to talk it out, or to ask what he wanted to eat while he was on his way back, or anything along those lines. He wasn’t sure how to feel, then, when he pulled out his phone and saw that the person calling was _not_ his partner but was, instead, his coworker Kira.

“Uh-- Hello?”, the redhead asked into the phone, trying to hide the fact that he’d been crying. “Hey”, came the voice from the other end, “Where are you? You were supposed to be here by seven.” Hinata frowned. “Oh-- um-- well--”, he started, unsure of how to tell Kira yet again what he’d told her at work earlier that day-- that he wouldn’t be able to come. But as he contemplated this he wondered: _why_ couldn’t he go to the party? After all, he was supposed to go on a date with Tsukki, but the blonde was nowhere to be found. Was there really any reason for him to not go to the party anymore? “I… was just leaving”, the redhead said resolutely, pushing himself up off the floor and wiping his face with the back of his arm, “Can you send me your address again?”.

 

Shōyō was surprised to find that he’d arrived at an _actual_ party. There were at least twenty college-aged kids, all of whom were drinking from red cups and milling around while loud music pulsed through the house. The redhead wandered around uncomfortably, looking for a familiar face in the crowd of older strangers until he felt a hand grab his own. “Hinata!”, yelled a voice he recognized. Shōyō spun around and was pleased to see Kira. “Hey!”, he smiled. “I’m so glad you showed up!”, she yelled, “I thought you were gonna flake!”. “Well, I had other plans, but my friend cancelle--” “Here!”, she yelled, shoving a full cup in his hand, “Have a drink! I’ll introduce you to some of my friends!”.

Hinata considered the beverage that was clearly beer in his hand for a moment. He’d basically forbidden Kei from consuming alcohol, but wasn’t Kei’s absence the whole reason he was in this situation in the first place? With one more glance at Kira, the redhead began chugging the contents of his red cup, eager to silence some of the nagging anxiety that had been eating away at the back of his mind. “Come on”, grinned Kira as she took Hinata by his free hand, “Let me introduce you to some people.”

The redhead allowed himself to be led through the Matsuki home by his coworker, the pair stopping to chat with a few people here and there but ultimately heading into the kitchen. “Hey girl!”, grinned a tall, thin woman who looked to be a year or two older than Kira, “Who is _this?”._ The three other girls standing around the island counter all immediately grew silent, their attention completely focused on Kira and the newcomer. “This”, grinned the party’s host, pulling her charge forward by the hand she was still holding, “Is my coworker Hinata Shōyō!”. “‘Hinata’?”, asked another one of the girls, “Like, _the_ Hinata?” “As in, _Hinata_ Hinata?”, echoed a third. “Oh my god!”, Kira exclaimed, “You guys are _so_ lame!”.

The redhead stood idly as the girls clucked amongst each other, feeling tremendously out of place. He finished the rest of his cup and found his mind wandering back to Tsukishima, wondering where the love of his life had run off to, and wondering if something wasn’t horribly, _terribly_ wrong, that he’d made it all the way to the party and _still_ hadn’t heard back from Kei yet.

Hinata moved to take his hand from Kira, only to have her tighten her grip on him, which he felt was a little odd, but he shrugged it off and simply placed his empty cup on the counter before them. With great difficulty he reached into his right pocket with his left hand and pulled out his cell phone, and was discouraged to find that he _still_ hadn’t gotten a response from Kei. _‘...maybe he forgot his phone at home?’,_ Shōyō found himself desperately musing, hoping for any excuse at all as to why the blonde hadn’t reached out to check on him, or to apologize, or anything at all.

“Oh, Hinata!”, Kira exclaimed, “You’ve finished your drink already! Let me go get you some more!”. “Oh-- no-- it’s fine”, Hinata waved dismissively, “I’m not really much of a drinker. That was more than enough for me as it is.” Kira frowned, opening and closing her mouth as she searched for words. “Well, you should have at least _one more_ drink, don’t you think?”, said Kaii, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Kira breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her brother. “After all”, grinned the older man, “The party’s just getting started, and it’d be pretty rude not to partake while you’re still being introduced to everyone, y’know? You don’t want to make Kira here look lame for inviting you, right?”. Kira cocked her head, wondering what kind of logic her brother was using, but to her amazement, Hinata seemed to agree. “I… I guess that makes sense”, the redhead said, frowning slightly, “Uh-- okay. One more drink, then!”. Kaii smiled to his younger sister and, winking, said, “Don’t worry-- I got it. I’ll get him the house special.” Kira instantly knew what her brother was inferring, and in that moment could not have been more grateful to have a sibling who honestly had her back no matter what.

Kira turned back to Hinata and grinned. “So, you ever been to a party like this?”, she asked in an overtly flirtatious tone, which the young man still completely missed out on. Hinata smiled and shook his head. “I don’t really do too much social stuff outside of volleyball. We have rigorous training camps and stuff. I’m pretty sure if my coach knew I was here right now he’d physically drag me back home and make me run laps or something.” The redhead chuckled to himself, but soon his laughter faded and he realized that what he’d said was completely accurate; if Ukai _ever_ found out that his ace was _drinking alcohol,_ Hinata would be benched for two games _easily,_ while being forced to run laps every practice for weeks. This was not a comforting thought.

“Aww, lighten up!”, laughed Kira, nudging the redhead lightly, “You’re in your last year of high school! You gotta live a little some time!”. One of the other girls laughed and nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Practically all I _did_ in my third year was party!”. “And in your first year of college”, grinned another girl. “And your second!”, added another. The girls resumed their playful banter amongst themselves and, a few minutes later, Kaii reappeared beside the redhead with another red cup in hand. “Here you go”, he grinned, “Let me know if you need anything else!”. “I’m sure I won’t”, Hinata replied, smiling politely. “Oh, I’m sure you won’t, too”, Kaii hummed to himself as he turned and walked back towards the living room.

Hinata had already begun feeling a fuzzy warmth taking over him as he stood in the kitchen with a group of mostly strangers and his boss’ daughter, but he was happy to say that his anxiety about the situation with Kei had largely faded into the back of his mind by the time he took his first few sips of his new drink. Strangely enough, though, Hinata realized to himself, Kaii had said something about getting Hinata ‘the house special’, but the drink that he had tasted exactly the same as the drink he’d been given before. _‘Weird’,_ the redhead thought, _‘Maybe I just don’t know beer. Maybe it all tastes too similar for me to tell the difference.’_

Kira led Hinata through the house, introducing him to more of her friends (all of whom, oddly enough, seemed to know of him to some degree), but as he got about halfway through his cup, he began to suspect that there _was_ something different about this drink after all. The warm fuzzy feeling that came with his first cup had all but faded, and instead he found that he was having an unfamiliar degree of trouble walking and talking. At one point Kira turned to him, smiling broadly, and said, “Gee, Hinata, you don’t look so good. Why don’t I take you to my room so you can go lay down for a bit?”. This offer also felt strange to Hinata, though through his foggy brain he couldn’t exactly place why. ”Excuse us”, Kira smiled to the group the two were standing with before turning and leading Hinata by the hand she still held back through the living room and up the stairs.

“Here”, the older woman cooed, opening a door in a narrow hallway and ushering the young redhead inside, “This is my room. Why don’t you lay down on the bed? I’m gonna go run and get you some water; I’ll be right back, kay?”. With that, Kira stepped out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her with Hinata shut inside. The redhead noted, as he approached Kira’s bed, that her room was incredibly clean-- almost unnaturally so, especially given that the person that he’d grown to know as Matsuki Kira was _not_ a generally meticulous person.

He sat down on her bed and suddenly felt as if he was going to throw up. Or, more specifically, he felt as if the whole of his insides were going to come up through his mouth. He quickly pulled out his phone and tried to call Kei, and was unsurprised when the blonde didn’t answer yet again. He tried one more time, but cut the call short when he heard what he was sure was Kira approaching once more.

He was proven to be right when, moments later, the dark haired young woman came back into her bedroom carrying a glass of water. “Here you go”, she smiled, setting the glass on the end table before sitting down next to the redhead. The room was uncomfortably silent for a few minutes before Hinata scooted forward on the bed. “Uh, you know what”, he started awkwardly, “I thin’ maybe I’ll jus’ head home. I’m really not feelin’ well.” “No!”, exclaimed Kira jumping up, “You probably just drank too much too fast! You should just lay down! You’ll feel better! Here!”. Kira reached over and forcibly pushed Hinata down, and the redhead found that he was too weak to really resist.

“There”, Kira smiled, placing one arm on the far side of Hinata’s chest and propping herself up on it, while she began gently brushing his curly locks out of his face with the other hand, “Now doesn’t that feel better?”. Hinata frowned. “Uh”, he started, his head seeming to get foggier by the minute, “I really thin’ I shoul’ go home…”. “It’s fine”, she whispered, “I’m here to take care of you. After all, everyone’s always saying what a great couple we’d make, and how good we look together...” At this, the redhead felt his skin begin to crawl. He struggled for a moment, but finally successfully managed to push himself up onto his elbows. “Uh-- Kira”, he started, frowning as he found himself struggling more and more to correctly form the words he was trying to say, “I’m sorry I didn’ say anythin’ before, bu’ I’m actually, um, in a relationship.” “That’s okay”, Kira smiled, pushing Hinata back down with her free hand. The redhead was beginning to panic; the fact that this girl who was about the same size as him was able to overpower him with _one hand_ meant that something was very, very wrong. “I think I understand the situation”, Kira purred as she leaned closer to him, “...After all, what man would _choose_ being with a _guy_ when they have a girl offering herself to them?”. Her lips were moving closer to his, but Hinata found himself mentally stuck on what Kira had just said.

“I-- I’m sorry-- _What?”,_ he asked incredulously, and though his speech was still slurred, it was quite obvious that he was shocked by what she’d said. “What?”, Kira scoffed, “Everyone _knows_ that gay men are only gay because they haven’t been with a lady yet. But-- I’m here to show you what you’re missing out on!”. With that, Kira continued her descent, and it was only then that Hinata realized that Kei had been completely right: Kira _did_ have feelings for him. And, right before her lips met their mark, the redhead did about the only thing he could think to do, in his less-than-clear-headed state: he abruptly turned his head, and Kira wound up kissing his cheek.

She quickly sat up and frowned. “Hinata, I’m _trying_ to help you!”, she said angrily before moving to try to kiss him again, this time grabbing him by the wrists so as to help keep him from squirming. “I don’t want your help!”, Hinata choked out. This statement seemed to stun the older girl. “You-- you-- _what?!”._ She let go of Hinata’s limbs and quickly stood up. The redhead, however, was finding himself too tired to move. “I-- I love my boyfrien'”, he slurred with considerable difficulty, “‘sorry. An’ even if I didn’... I’m _gay._ I like _guys._ I don’ know who tol’ you all this… _stuff…_ but they’re wrong. Tha’s not how it works.”

As he spoke, Kira’s face grew redder and redder, and it was only once he stopped that she clenched her fists and yelled, “You don’t mean that! I-- I’ll just wait a few more minutes for the _medicine_ to take full effect, and then you’ll be _begging_ me to take care of you! Just you wait and see!”. With that, the dark-haired woman stormed out of her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Hinata could hear her voice on the other side of the door and assumed she was speaking to someone out there.

 _‘Medicine?’,_ he thought to himself with considerable difficulty, _‘...they must’ve put something in my drink! That’s gotta be why I can hardly move!’._ He felt like he was fading-- the siren that was sleep was calling his name-- but Hinata knew that nothing good awaited him (or his body) if he fell asleep. It took every ounce of willpower he owned, but Hinata managed to get his cell phone out from his pocket once more and click the ‘send my location’ feature in his chat with Kei. After a few more minutes of struggling, he managed to type out one more desperate message, hoping that the succinctness of the text in conjunction with the previous message would catch his boyfriend’s attention, because he shuddered to think of what would happen otherwise. And as he began to lose control of the directions his mind wandered in, a single, four-letter message went from [delivered] to [read] on Kei’s phone, reading:

  
**Shōyō ♡ (8:58pm):** help

 

 


	27. Party Crashers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira's party gets crashed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've forgotten who any of these characters are, [here's](https://docs.google.com/document/d/101xiSCIqDCjtiNw7phcUNWqdoUmaz-cBbjKryi620wk/edit?usp=sharing) a summary of who each OC in this fic is! (They were all supposed to be side characters, but, geez, did that list grow!)

After weeks and weeks of planning, Kira’s party was finally underway. Tonight was going to be the night where she finally captured the interest of the boy she’d had such a massive crush on, and, according to the guy who’d helped her plan everything, nothing could go wrong. Only… something had. And she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.

Saito had assured her that all she had to do was get Hinata drunk and slip one of the ‘special pills’ he’d given her into Hinata’s drinks, and he’d be all over her. She did just that-- partially thanks to her brother’s help-- and thought she was being clever when she suggested that the redhead go lay down in her bed, setting the stage for him to make the first move. But then he started talking about going home, and she admittedly panicked and decided to make the first move herself, which also seemed to backfire when Hinata told her that he was _in love_ with his boyfriend. So far, literally nothing was going according to plan. She’d tried calling Saito-- the mastermind behind this whole plan-- but he wasn’t answering his phone, which also was abnormal. So instead she stood in the upstairs hallway, speaking in panicked whispers with her older brother.

“What am I supposed to do?!”, she yelled quietly, “He’s saying he’s _gay,_ and that that’s what he _wants!”._ Kaii shrugged. “I dunno”, he frowned, “I don’t really know how any of that works. I can’t imagine choosing to be with a guy--” “Right?!”, she exclaimed, “So what do I do?!”. “I mean”, Kaii frowned, rubbing the back of his head, “What _can_ you do? We were already in some pretty murky moral territory here, but if you push it much further you’re gonna be crossing some lines that I really don’t think you want to cross…”. Kira grabbed Kaii’s cup from his hand and tossed the contents back, stomping her foot when she finished. “What am I supposed to do?!”, she reiterated, “Saito _swore_ that this was gonna work!”. Kaii frowned. “I mean… I guess go back in and try again but… seriously… don’t do anything you’re gonna regret, Kira.” The dark-haired woman nodded, handed her brother back his now-empty cup, and went back to her bedroom.

Kaii sighed and headed back downstairs. He was initially supportive of his sister’s quest to try to win over their coworker, but the more he heard of the plan, the less comfortable he found himself becoming. He wanted Kira to be happy. She was so clearly head-over-heels for Hinata-- for whatever reason-- and Kaii felt his sister deserved some love and happiness in her life. But was this really the way to get it?

He did his best to try to mingle with the group, hoping to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that his sister was really getting herself into trouble, but no matter who he spoke to or what he drank, he couldn’t help but feel a little sick. He was just about to go upstairs and try to convince his sister to stop for the night and try again another time when suddenly something else became a more pressing priority: someone was pounding on his front door.

The party fell silent. It was clear that everyone was thinking the same thing, worried that the owner of the fist that was slamming on the front door was a police officer, coming to bust the party for having minors drinking at it. Everyone turned and looked to Kaii, who, setting his cup down, slowly approached the origin of the sound. Before he could reach for the handle, though, the door blew open, and he was even more horrified by what he saw than he would’ve been if it was the police. At first the person who stormed into his house appeared to be his father, and Kaii felt his heart drop into his stomach. His parents were supposed to be away for the weekend; for them to be home so early meant that they’d heard about the party and came home _just_ to bust him and Kira. But then he noticed that the man who had burst in his front door wasn’t actually his father, but was someone he feared even more: his uncle Hideshi. His father was usually a little more on the lax side, but his father’s twin was incredibly strict (which was appropriate, given that he worked as a guidance counselor at the local high school), and when Uncle Hideshi was mad, Kaii’s father suddenly found his own voice and became strict as well.

“EVERYBODY OUT!!!”, bellowed the older man, and just like that, all of the partygoers quickly rushed the door, grateful that they weren’t getting into any _actual_ trouble. Rounding on his nephew, Hideshi growled, “Where is Hinata?!”. “H- H- Hinata?”, Kaii asked, backing away from the man whose wrath was one to be feared. “Don’t play dumb with me”, his Uncle glowered, stepping closer to Kaii, the sea of young adults parting to let him through as the last of the group made their way to the door. “Uh-- upstairs-- but--”. “Go”, Uncle Hideshi nodded to a guy that Kaii had only just noticed had been standing behind him. The tall, blonde young man dashed up the stairs and out of sight, and Kaii got a sinking feeling that he was in far worse trouble than he would’ve been if the cops had shown up.

 

Tsukki took the stairs in leaps of two or three at a time, desperate to be there to answer his lover’s call for help in his time of need. Upon reaching the second floor, he threw open the first door he came across,  hurriedly felt the wall for a switch, and turned the lights on; he was both relieved and dismayed to find that the room was empty. He continued down the hall to the next room, where he was certain he would have better luck, as he could see light glowing from within. He tried the handle and was frustrated to find that it was locked but, remembering Hinata’s guidance counselor’s advice to do whatever was necessary, the blonde wasted no time in drawing back as far as he could before charging at the door. Both the door and lock were sturdy, but, fortunately for Tsukishima, the doorframe was not. It splintered easily, allowing the blonde to break through the barrier into Kira’s room.

What he stumbled in on was not a pleasant sight. Hinata was laying on his back on Kira’s bed, and seemed to be barely conscious, if conscious at all. The girl Kei now recognized as Kira was straddling him, though she appeared to be fully clothed, with the exception of her shirt which was completely unbuttoned, revealing a lacy pink bra. Her lips were pressed to Hinata’s, though she immediately shot up, revealing a look of utmost shock and horror upon hearing her door frame splinter. That look only doubled when the blonde, fueled by disgust and fury, grabbed Kira by the arm and pulled her off of his defenseless boyfriend with so much force that she landed on the floor with a yelp.

The thud and Kira’s scream seemed to have caught the attention of the people downstairs; while Kei climbed onto the bed to assess Hinata’s condition, thundering footsteps could be heard on the stairs. “Kira!”, gasped Kaii as he ran through the doorway and saw his younger sister on the floor. And as Kei braced himself for what he was sure was about to turn into a fight between himself and the newcomer, a fifth person joined the fray: the man known to Tsukishima as Mr. Matsuki suddenly appeared in the doorway, grabbing the dark-haired man by his shoulder and pulling him backwards. _“Knock it off”,_ he growled, shocking Tsukki yet again as he turned back to Hinata. Mr. Matsuki had always seemed so _mild,_ so _dull,_ yet here he was, completely taking charge of the situation and being absolutely terrifying in the process.

“Shōyō”, Tsukki said quietly, shaking his boyfriend, _“Hey,_ Shōyō!”. The redhead stirred slightly. His eyes opened halfway, and though he was looking directly at the blonde, Tsukki could tell that Hinata was unable to focus on him. “...Kei?”, Hinata asked hoarsely. The blonde nodded. “Yeah, baby, I’m here. Are you okay? Did-- did you drink too much?”. Hinata flopped his head from side to side in an apparent effort to say ‘no’. “Something… in my drink”, he slurred, allowing his eyes to fall shut again. “W- what?”, Tsukki choked out, turning to look at everyone else in the room for any sort of clarification to the words his lover had just said. Kira looked away as she pulled her shirt shut. Upon hearing this, however, Mr. Matsuki grabbed his nephew by the collar and pushed him up against the wall. “What the hell did you two do?!”, he yelled. Kira shrieked and instantly began crying, while Kaii struggled with the grip his uncle had on him. “It-- it wasn’t our idea”, Kaii finally choked out, “One of our customers told Kira what to do and she followed his instructions” “Kaii--”, Kira sobbed, trying to get her brother to stop talking, but her brother turned and glared at her. “No! I told you this was fucked up, but I helped you because you _swore_ this was what you wanted, and that it would work out in the end. But I should’ve listened to my gut!”, Kaii turned back to his uncle, “--that customer gave us something to put in Hinata’s drink. He supposedly told Kira it was going to-- I dunno-- lower his inhibitions or something like that. He didn’t say it was going to _knock_ Hinata _out.”_

Mr. Matsuki slowly released his grip on his nephew. He sighed in disgust and shook his head. “Both of you, go downstairs, _now._ ” Without another word, Kira climbed to her feet and she and Kaii left the room. Turning to Tsukishima, Mr. Matsuki frowned, “I think you should take Hinata to the hospital. There’s no telling what those idiots drugged him with.” Tsukki nodded wordlessly. “You know the taxi’s still outside, so just take it and go. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Once their parents are home I’ll come check in on you guys.” Again the blonde nodded. He stood and began positioning himself to pick up Hinata when Mr. Matsuki spoke once again. “Oh-- and Tsukishima-kun?”, he started, “...I know now isn’t really the time, but if you two want to press charges, I will completely support it. They’re both old enough to know right from wrong, and this was unquestionably wrong.” Tsukki had no idea what to say to this. He nodded and slowly lifted the redhead in his arms. “...I’ll talk to Shōyō about it when he’s feeling better”, he said, and with that, the blonde began heading down to the taxi that had been waiting outside.

 


	28. Much to be Discussed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima takes Hinata to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've forgotten who any of these characters are, [here's](https://docs.google.com/document/d/101xiSCIqDCjtiNw7phcUNWqdoUmaz-cBbjKryi620wk/edit?usp=sharing) a summary of who each OC in this fic is!

“Hello?”

“Um, hey, Mom? You’re, uh… you’re at work, right?”

“Yes, sweetie. I’ll be here until midnight.”

“Uh-- well-- _don’t freak out but--_ I’m in the emergency room with Shōyō. He--”

“WHAT?!” 

Kei regretted calling his mother the moment the phone began ringing, but he’d promised the last time they were in the emergency room that he would let her know immediately if it ever happened again. And, considering the fact that his mother had just hung up on him, he was expecting to see her momentarily.

As soon as they had arrived at the hospital nearly half an hour earlier, Shōyō was taken from Kei and, while the blonde got him registered and explained the whole situation, Hinata had his stomach pumped. By the time Tsukki was able to see his partner again, Shōyō was hooked up to an IV and was fast asleep. (Asleep-- the nurse assured him-- no longer passed out or unresponsive.) Kei sat on the edge of the bed and held Hinata’s hand, grateful that the redhead was ultimately okay. It was after a few minutes spent like this that the blonde remembered his promise to his mother, and mere moments after that that the blonde woman breathlessly skidded into the room.

“Kei!”, she gasped, “What happened?!”. The blonde man simpered, “It’s a long story.” His mother quickly crossed the room and pulled her son into an embrace. “Oh, sweetie, it doesn’t matter. Tell me _everything.”_ And so the young man began his story, starting with his conversation with Hinata earlier that morning, telling his mother briefly about his previous encounter with Kira, then moving to his experience with his father, his ‘convenient’ run in with Saito and his subsequent discovery about the older man’s intentions, and ultimately ending with his contacting Mr. Matsuki and breaking into Hinata’s coworker’s home to rescue the redhead. When he was finished, his mother, who’d pulled up a chair, exhaled loudly. “Oh, _Kei”,_ she sighed, “I can’t believe the things you boys have had to go through…”. She leaned over the bed and gently stroked Hinata’s hair. _“You poor thing…”,_ she whispered.

“Kei”, she started, frowning deeply, “I _know_ you’re going through a lot, but… you’ve got to be a little easier on Shōyō. He’s had to adjust his whole life in the last few months and--” “I know, Mom” “No, Kei, you know-- you _say_ you know, but you don’t _act_ like you know. I’ve done my best to stay impartial because it really isn’t my place to say anything, but between the two of you, this is the third time you’ve been in the hospital. It seems like you guys are fighting every other day, and that’s just to me-- someone who isn’t even _around_ you guys daily! And I _know_ it’s hard, especially because you and Shō have such vastly different issues-- especially when it comes to your fathers-- but you have _got_ to give him a little more slack. Again-- I’m sorry-- it’s not my business and I really shouldn’t be saying anything-- but I just want you boys to be happy.” Kei nodded slowly. “...alright. I’ll try.” The elder Tsukishima smiled softly and took Kei’s free hand in hers, and together the two sat, one hand holding each other’s and one hand on Hinata.

When a doctor wandered in to check on the redhead’s status, Kei’s mother stood up, seemingly remembering that she was still on the clock. “I need to get back upstairs”, she said, frowning, “Text me if you guys are discharged before I get out. Otherwise I’ll be back down in an hour or so.”

Kei was alone with Hinata for nearly twenty minutes before another familiar face wandered into the room, though this time Kei was not exactly gracious towards his visitor. “What are _you_ doing here?”, glared the blonde. Akiteru frowned as he approached the bed. “Mom called and told me the short version of what happened. I came as quickly as I could.” “ _Why?”,_ Kei accused-more-than-asked. Akiteru cocked his head. “I came to support my brother-in- law. ...Is there something you need to talk about, Kei?”, asked the older man. “Oh, no, nothing”, the younger man said, rolling his eyes, “Why, do you have something _you_ need to talk about? Something you need to _confess,_ perhaps?”. At this, Akiteru narrowed his eyes. He strode over to the chair his mother had been sitting in and seated himself.

“Kei”, he started, “If you have something to say, why don’t you just come out and say it?”. The younger brother huffed, folded his arms, and said, _“Fine._ As you may or may not have heard, I ran into Mom’s ex-husband today.” “You mean Dad”, interrupted Akiteru. “Well, I say ‘ran into’, when I really mean, ‘that piece of shit ambushed me in my own apartment and tried to strongarm me into visiting one of his other kids’. And while he was there harassing me and inserting as much discord as humanly possible into my relationship, he also shared some _interesting_ information with me. Apparently, you’ve been speaking to his other children, and are planning on visiting one of them soon.”

Akiteru looked at his brother blankly. “Yeah. I did, and I am. Anything else?”. Kei was taken aback by this proclamation. He was expecting some sort of denial or excuse or _anything,_ but Akiteru was unapologetic. After a moment of silence, the older man continued. “I’m sorry to say that, while I understand your hang ups regarding our father, I’m under no obligation to yield to them myself. At some point in time you have to forgive and forget. I’m not willing to hate our father forever just because his relationship with our mother fell apart.” “It didn’t fall apart!”, Kei found himself yelling, his face flushed as he fought back tears, “He _cheated_ on her-- he cheated on us! His selfishness deprived all of us of a normal life, and Mom had to struggle for years and years just to put food on the table for us, because he was too goddamn selfish to help his goddamn kids!”. “He’s _human,_ Kei!”, Akiteru exclaimed, feeling himself getting heated as well, “Humans make mistakes! Humans do selfish things! He wasn’t looking at the big picture then, but something forced him to look at the big picture now before it’s too late!” “It’s already too late!”, Kei yelled, tears forcing their way through, “It might not be too late for _his_ kids, it might not even be too late for you, but it’s too late for me! I don’t _care_ that you can forgive him! I care that you can forget what he did to us-- what he did to Mom!”.

Kei quickly wiped his tears and took Hinata’s hand in his once more. Without looking at his brother, he said quietly, “...I think you should go.” Akiteru shook his head. “No. You need to stop running and start dealing with these things. It’s not gonna go away just because I do.” Kei’s grip on his partner’s hand tightened. “I really wish people would stop lecturing me on what I ‘need’ to do. ...I don’t know what you could possibly be expecting of me. I don’t approve of you talking to _him._ I feel like you’re betraying our whole family. And I feel like it’s insanely unfair of you to put this all on me while my fiance is in the hospital.”

“You’re right about that last part”, nodded Akiteru, “But I don’t agree on anything else. Because, whether you like it or not, Dad _is_ our family. Hiro and Aimi _are_ our family. Spending time with them doesn’t mean that I love you or Mom any less. And, to be fair, I _did_ talk to Mom about all of this before I responded to Dad. And, if you and Shōyō weren’t going through so much right now, I would have talked to you about it as well. But, I mean, Kei… I can’t go on being angry for the rest of my life. And I don’t know why you would choose to, either.” “Because of what he did to--” “To me? To Mom? To people who _themselves_ are no longer affected by it? It’s time to start being honest with yourself and acknowledge what it is you’re _really_ angry about.”

Kei felt his anger bubbling up inside of him. Wasn’t he going through enough as it is? Why did it seem like everyone was ganging up on him and judging him so harshly?

“Kei”, came Akiteru’s voice. The younger Tsukishima didn’t acknowledge his name; he just sat on his fiance’s bed fuming. “I love you. No one can ever replace you in my heart. But just because _he_ made some really shitty decisions doesn’t mean his kids should pay the price, too. You’re basically doing the same thing to them that he did to us-- making two little kids lives worse just because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Only, this time, one of the kids is dying.” “Yeah, but _they_ have both of their parents.” “Yeah, but one of the kids is _dying”,_ Akiteru reiterated, shooting a glare at his younger brother. Kei’s silence told Akiteru that he’d gotten through to him. Sighing, the older brother stretched, looked around, and said, “Alright, well. I mean, I don’t hold any ill will against you. I understand where you’re coming from, even if I don’t agree with it. I hope you’ll change your mind someday, and hopefully before it’s too late, but I won’t hold my breath. But I’m willing to drop this conversation. After all-- like I said-- I’m here for Shō.” Kei seemed to think this over for a long moment before nodding, “Okay. ...I agree.” And with that, the two blondes settled into a comfortable, understanding silence.

Unfortunately, that silence didn’t last long. Within a few minutes of the exchange of their last words, Mr. Matsuki hesitantly walked into the room. “Tsukishima-kun”, he said, frowning deeply, “I-- I am so sorry”. Tsukki smiled half-heartedly. “It’s--”, he started, though he quickly frowned himself. He was about to say ‘it’s okay’, but was that really something he could say? It _wasn’t_ okay, right? So why was he about to try to say that it was? “--it’s not your fault”, he said, recovering as smoothly as possible.

The older man was teary-eyed as he approached the bed. He shook his head sadly. “This… this really _is_ all my fault. I was the one who outed Hinata-kun to his parents… I’m the reason he lost his family. I got him the job with my brother, and exposed him to my niece and nephew. If it weren’t for me…”.

“Mr. Matsuki…”, started Tsukki, gently setting Hinata’s hand down and standing up, “...with all due respect, I completely and totally disagree with you. You had no way of knowing that Shōyō and I weren’t out to our parents. If anything, it was laziness or carelessness on our part. Shōyō knew his parents were coming for meeting; he should’ve thought to warn you, but he didn’t. I didn’t, even Takeda-sensei didn’t. No one thought of it. So you’re blaming yourself for something insane there. As for the job… you did your best to help. And, to be fair, I don’t even blame your niece or nephew. At the end of the day, I blame the absolute psychopath who preyed on Kira to try to get to me.” “Wait”, said the older man, his face falling, “...to get to you?”. “Yes”, nodded Kei, “...I’m not one hundred percent certain on how Kira fits into all of this. I think she was just an innocent bystander, honestly, in Saito’s plot to break Shōyō and I up. I only just found out earlier this evening that a mutual customer of my workplace and Shōyō’s has had a significant crush on me pretty much since we’ve met, and it seems that all he’s been doing is plotting to separate us so that I’d date him. I guess tonight was supposed to be the culmination of all of his plans. While Shōyō was supposed to be at Kira’s party, Saito was going to show up at my place. It didn’t _exactly_ turn out like that, but he wound up having an ideal opportunity to confess anyway. And it was while I was with him that Shōyō went to Kira’s party.” Mr. Matsuki nodded and said, “And, like Kaii said, Kira got whatever she drugged Hinata-kun with from this ‘Saito’ guy. Once you two left she actually broke down and told me that he’d walked her through the entire plan where she was to throw this party and take advantage of him, and supposedly that would-- _ugh--_ turn him straight. You’d think, her being your contemporary and everything, that she’d know better but-- no-- she’s, unfortunately, completely oblivious. I had to sit both her and Kaii down and explain to them that that’s not how it works at _all._ Regardless of their confusion, though, Tsukishima-kun-- like I told you back at my brother’s place-- there’s no excuse for their actions. If you’re even slightly interested in pressing charges against them, I will stand by you and Shōyō, and help you both through the process. I don’t care that they’re my brother’s children-- enough is enough.”

Akiteru stood and joined the conversation. “So-- sorry, just to backtrack for a second here Kei-- you’re saying that all of this happened because some other guy wanted to take you from Shōyō?”, he asked, clearly appalled over the whole situation. Kei nodded, “So far as I can tell, yeah.” Akiteru looked up to Mr. Matsuki. “So why would Kei be pressing charges against your niece and nephew, when they were so clearly influenced by a third party? I mean, hell, even the drug came from this guy! Shouldn’t you guys be looking to press charges against him?”. “Well, yeah, now that you mention it…”, started Mr. Matsuki, “...Tsukishima-kun, if you and Hinata-kun were to go to the police, and with Kira and Kaii and--”

 _“No”,_ came a faint voice from behind the group. Tsukki whipped his head around to see that Hinata had stirred. His eyes were once again half-lidded and he was gently running his fingers over where the IV line was inserted into his arm, but a look of utmost severity was spelled out across his face. “Shō!”, Kei exclaimed as he flung himself onto the bed. He hugged the younger man gently, kissing the side of his head as he pulled away, “How are you feeling?”. “Like shit”, Hinata groaned, “But-- more importantly-- I **don’t** want to press charges, against _anyone.”_ The other men in the room stared blankly at him. “...w- what?”, Kei eventually asked, “...Sweetie, you don’t even know all of the facts. A lot has happened tonight, and--” “I don’t care”, Hinata said, letting his head fall back against the bed as his eyes slowly shut, “I don’t want to press charges. I don’t want to live through any of this any more. I just want to go home and try to have a normal life. ...I’m obviously going to quit my job-- I don’t really have a choice there-- but volleyball practice is starting soon, and school soon after that, so I guess I’ll be busy anyway. But… I’m seriously tired of all the drama. Please… don’t put me through all of this all over again.”

The other men exchanged helpless glances amongst each other. On the one hand, they knew that Hinata made a very valid argument, and that it would be morally wrong to try to force the issue, but on the other hand, not pressing charges would allow Saito to get away with his terrible, predatory behavior. Eventually, with no other choice, Kei sighed and said, “Alright. No pressing charges. But you _will_ be quitting that job.” Hinata nodded wordlessly. “And-- and, of course”, stammered Mr. Matsuki, “I can _assure_ you, you will receive severance pay, _and_ my brother will serve as a reference for you for pretty much the rest of his life, _especially_ if you’re not suing him or his children. So if you guys need character references for college, or your next jobs or anything, well-- you’ve got both me and him to help.” Before Tsukki could say anything, Hinata, with a gentle smile, said, “That’s kind, but really not necessary.” “Of course it is!”, hooted Mr. Matsuki, “Why, it’s the bare minimum of what could be considered necessary!”

As the group became a little more cheerful and chatted about some more pleasant things, Hinata’s feedback waxing and waning through the conversation, two _more_ people joined the ‘party’.

“Oh! Akiteru! I didn’t know you were coming!”, smiled the young man’s mother as she entered the now-crowded room, accompanied by Hinata’s doctor. “How could I not?”, smiled the elder of the two brothers as he stepped closer to Hinata’s bed in an effort to make more room. His mother smiled again and gestured to the man to her left. “I was taking the elevator down to see you two when I ran into Dr. Seiji, who was _also_ on his way to come see Shōyō!”, she said, grinning broadly. The doctor nodded to all in the room and made his way over to the foot of Hinata’s bed. “Lively room you’ve got here!”, he remarked in a serious tone that suggested he was _trying_ to be friendly, but was utterly unfamiliar with the act. He glanced around and asked, “I got your labs back. Would you like some privacy as I give you the results?”. Hinata shook his head ‘no’. Clearing his throat and opening the thin chart he had in his right hand, Dr. Seiji continued, “It appears that the mystery pill you were given is flunitrazepam-- Rohypnol. Basically you were roofied. Thanks to your friend’s quick action, your recovery won’t be too bad. You may have a headache between tonight and tomorrow and may have nausea, vomiting, body aches and/or extreme fatigue, but fortunately that will be the extent of your symptoms. It could’ve been much, much worse. Now, if you don’t have any questions, we can get a nurse in here to get that IV out and--”. Before he could continue saying anything, the eldest Tsukishima in the room was getting gloves on. “Tsukishima-san, aren’t you off the clock?”, the doctor asked, raising an eyebrow. The blonde woman nodded but continued over to the far side of Hinata’s bed anyway. “This boy is my son-in-law”, she hummed as she began gently pulling up adhesive, “I don’t want an overworked MA leaving his precious skin bruised. “Ah-- I see”, said the doctor as he did his best to not make his brow furrowing obvious, “Uh-- in that case-- I will prepare your discharge paperwork as quickly as possible and you all can go home and get some rest. I’m sure you could use it.” With that, Dr. Seiji closed Hinata’s chart and left the room.

“W- well. I’m very relieved to hear that you’re okay, Hinata-kun”, smiled Mr. Matsuki, “And, once again, I am so, so sorry for everything. I cannot help but feel that this is all entirely my fault.” “Don’t be ridiculous”, Hinata smiled softly. “Is it alright if I call on you some time during the week just to see how you’re doing?”, the older man asked. The redhead nodded. “In that case, I will bid you all a good night. And-- once again-- Hinata-kun-- I am just so, so sorry.” “It’s okay”, smiled Hinata, “Thank you for coming.”

Once Mr. Matsuki left, Akiteru turned to his mother. “Mom, today was your third twelve hour shift in a row. You should really go home and get some rest too.” His mom, who had only just finished applying a bandage to the site where Hinata’s IV had been, frowned deeply. “Are you _kidding_ me?!”, she exclaimed, “My _son_ is in the _hospital!_ You expect me to go _home?!”._ “But he’s about to be dis--”, Akiteru started, only to be cut off by his mother who was growing more indignant with every sentence he spoke. “I need to be here for my babies! Maybe _you_ need to go home!” “Mom, I--” “‘Mom I’ nothing! If my baby is having a bad day, so am I, and that goes for every one of you!”. “You must have a lot of bad days”, Kei muttered under his breath, drawing his mother’s attention to him. “Oh, _you_ want to start now Mister?!”.

Hinata couldn’t help but giggle. He never would’ve guessed it when he first met Kei, but the Tsukishima family was nothing if not lively, and he was grateful to be considered a part of it.

 

It was only once he was home, snuggled up in bed next to Kei after being dropped off and fawned over by his mother for nearly an hour, that Hinata was finally able to process all the new information that the blonde had shared with him.

_Saito was in love with Kei. Saito plotted to have Kira break them up by having Kira fall in love with Hinata. Kira had drugged Hinata with (what she was apparently unaware was) an infamous date rape drug and had actually tried to take advantage of him. Saito offered Kei the world, and Kei declined it. … … … Saito offered Kei the world… … … and Kei declined it … … …_

“Kei?”, came a shaky voice, breaking through the darkness of their bedroom. “Yes, my love?”, answered a breathy voice very close to Hinata’s ear. Tsukki’s lanky limbs were wrapped around Hinata’s body, desperately clinging to that which he felt he almost lost that evening. But Hinata was feeling like it was all wrong. Hinata felt like… like _he_ should be the one clinging to Tsukki instead…

“...Why did you turn Saito’s offer down?”, Hinata asked quietly. He could feel the bed shift slightly, and knew it was Kei propping himself up on his elbow. “...What?”, the blonde asked in clear disbelief. “Well…”, Hinata started slowly, “You said that Saito offered to support you financially while you figured out what you wanted to do with your life. He offered you that really high paying job right out of high school. You even said yourself that you enjoyed the conversations with him. So… why did you turn him down? I mean, you went to him for emotional support, and all I seem to do is fuck things up...” The room was silent for several long seconds before Tsukki gently bopped Hinata on the head. “Hinata Shōyō, you idiot”, he whispered.

Kei pressed his forehead to Hinata’s and ran a hand along the side of the redhead’s face. He took a deep breath in and breathed out slowly through his nose before he began speaking. “I know I’ve been doing a shitty job of showing it lately, but the reason I chose you-- the reason I will always choose you, no matter what the offer-- is because I love you with all my heart and soul. You are the reason I walk this earth. There’s not another person alive who can offer me what you have, because there’s not another person alive who is you. Simply put-- you are irreplaceable, and I will love you with all that I am until my soul turns to dust.”

Again the room fell silent. Tsukki wasn’t expecting as grandiose a confession in return but he had to admit… he _was_ expecting _some_ kind of response. After thirty seconds of total silence, he realized that the smaller man wasn’t even breathing. It was only once he asked, “...Shō?”, that he understood why, as that was when the levee broke, and Hinata began wailing. Between gasps and hysterical sobs, he cried, “KEIII, THAT-- WAS-- SO-- BEAUTIFULLLL!!!”

Tsukki pulled his small boyfriend into him, tucking his head into his chest, and as he kissed the golden locks that rested under his chin, Kei laughed and affectionately whispered, _“...You big baby”._

 

 


	29. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukki isn't quite content with letting sleeping dogs lie, even though that's what Hinata said he wanted.

Over the next few days, Tsukki did his best to be as supportive as possible of Hinata as he recovered. The two had many meaningful conversations, in which Hinata swore he wouldn’t interfere in Kei’s familial relationships anymore, Kei promised to think a little harder about at least developing a relationship with his younger siblings, and both men promised each other that they’d pay much more attention going further to the potential of people trying to interfere in their relationship. 

On Monday, Kei had gotten up and gotten himself dressed, at which point Hinata, who was still in bed, emerged from their room with a blanket wrapped around him and frowned deeply. “You’re leaving…”, he said in a matter-of-fact tone. Kei, who was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, nodded, though once he rinsed his mouth out, he replied, “I have some errands to run.” Hinata’s frown only deepened. “...Can I come with you? I don’t want to be alone…”, he said sadly. “Well, you  _ can… _ ”, shrugged the blonde, “...but I’m not sure that you’re going to want to.” Raising an eyebrow, Hinata asked, “Why not?”. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Kei grinned and nodded towards their bedroom. “Go get dressed”, he suggested.

When Hinata emerged from their bedroom a few minutes later, he was shocked to see some familiar faces in his living room. “Kenma! Kuroo! What are you guys doing here?”, he exclaimed excitedly. “Hi Shōyō”, smiled Kenma, looking up from his handheld game system. “Hey, Chibi-chan!”, grinned Kuroo. Kei smiled softly as his boyfriend enthusiastically approached the group. “I know you aren’t ready to be left alone, and to be honest the errands I have to run aren’t fun, but this way you can have some company and I don’t have to sit here and deal with Kuroo!” “H- hey!”, exclaimed the dark-haired man. “Hey’s just teasing you”, mumbled Kenma, “Why do you give him the gratification of getting riled up?”. Kei couldn’t help but grin mischievously. 

“Alright, I’m gonna go. If you need anything just call me.” “Okay, Kei! Thanks!”, beamed the redhead. And with that, the tall, lanky blonde left his apartment, knowing that the man he loved was in good hands while he was off to deal with some loose ends.

 

Half an hour after leaving his apartment, a smartly dressed Tsukishima Kei walked into the Miyagi Prefecture Publishing House. He approached the front desk and, appearing to be full of confidence, said to the receptionist, “Hi. My name is Tsukishima Kei. I’m here to meet with Ichida Tatsumi.” The older woman raised an eyebrow. “Do you have an appointment?”, she asked as she began flipping through her phonebook. “No”, said Kei, “But he’ll be expecting me, I’m sure.” The older woman appraised him briefly, but the overwhelming air of confidence the blonde was exuding seemed to convince her. “...Okay. Have a seat and I’ll call him”, she said, and as Tsukki crossed the lobby, he could hear her whispering into the phone, “Yes, Mr. Ichida? I have a young man down here— says you’re expecting him? His name was Ishijima Kei? Yes. Alright, sir. Thank you.” Kei heard the receiver hit its cradle and the older woman cleared her throat. “Um--  _ sir?”,  _ she asked in a forced saccharine voice right as the blonde lowered himself into a plush leather chair, “Mr. Ichida will be right with you.” “Alright, thanks”, nodded Tsukki before pulling out his phone and playing on it as casually as possible. He couldn’t help but take delight in how displeased the receptionist was that he was actually being granted an audience with a high-level editor. It was an enjoyable distraction from the great amount of anxiety he’d been feeling otherwise. 

It wasn’t long before a familiar face showed up in the lobby. “Um-- Mr. Tsukishima”, said the man that he knew to be Tatsumi, “Please, come with me. We can go up to my office.” The older man bowed slightly as he gestured towards the elevators, which only seemed to further displease the cranky receptionist. 

As the elevator doors shut, Tatsumi turned to the younger man. “I can’t say that I was expecting to see you, though I won’t say that I’m particularly surprised either”, he remarked as the elevator glided silently to floor ‘3’. It dinged pleasantly to signal that it had arrived at its destination, and upon exiting the small metal compartment, the well-dressed businessman led Tsukishima off towards the left. Two turns later, the men entered a medium-sized, stylishly decorated office. “Please-- sit”, Tatsumi said, gesturing to the modern-style chairs in front of the over-full sleek black desk he was approaching the far side of. 

“So”, started Tatsumi, shuffling some of his papers nervously, “I’ll just cut to the chase here… I can assume that you’re here because of Saito’s actions last weekend?”. The blonde nodded. Tatsumi swallowed hard. “In addition to being Saito’s editor and manager, I have the deep misfortune of being the person he calls his best friend. This also means I receive all of his confessionals. He gave me the whole rundown of what had happened while drunk out of his mind on Friday night. He explained that you’d had a fight with your boyfriend, who was a part of one of his other plots--  _ please don’t get me started on that one--  _ and he saw that as his opportunity to try his final push to woo you-- something, mind you, that I’ve been against from the start. I mean, for God’s sake, you’re a  _ minor,  _ if nothing else!” “Uh,  _ and  _ engaged…”, added Tsukishima, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “That too”, nodded the older man, “But one thing is wrong ethically. The other is wrong  _ legally.  _ ...anyway, he told me that you not only turned him down-- you also figured out that he was behind a lot of the problems in your relationship, and that you basically told him to-- pardon my language--  _ ‘fuck off’.  _ ...is that about right?”. “Yes”, nodded Tsukishima. “So, now that we’re on the same page…”, started the older man, leaning forward on his elbows, “how can I help you?”.

“Well, through all of this, I’ve made some pretty horrifying discoveries about Saito’s actions. I don’t know how much of the truth he’s told you, but I’ll just share some of the things I’ve uncovered with you. In order to enact his plot between Kira and Hinata, he basically had to brainwash Kira-- who’d initially had a crush on  _ Saito--  _ to think that she actually had a crush on Hinata. He helped her develop the plot to try to seduce him, ending in the ultimate act of throwing the rager where there was quite a bit of underage drinking. Not-- mind you-- that underage drinking seems to be a concern of his, as he’s given me personally quite a bit of alcohol, despite my being seventeen. But then again, giving minor illegal substances doesn’t seem to be a concern of his at all, as he gave Kira  _ roofies  _ to drug Hinata with, without telling her what they were. And she used them-- brilliant woman that she is-- landing Hinata in the hospital, since she had no idea what she’d drugged him with and he was unresponsive. And, because of this, Hinata has-- quite obviously, I should think-- had to quit his job, as Kira is the daughter of the shop’s owner. And once we’re done here, I’m going to have to resign from my own job, which I love quite dearly, because Saito is a tremendous source of income for my bosses.”

As he spoke, Tsukki watched the color drain further and further from Tatsumi’s face. The blonde, however, pressed on. “As the employer of someone in such a publicized field, I felt you should be aware that several people in my immediate environment are discussing  _ pressing charges  _ against Saito for this long list, spanning-- according to my research-- from misdemeanors to what could be felonies, if represented properly.” “F- f- felonies?”, stammered Saito. “Sure”, shrugged Tsukishima, “It could be argued that drugging Hinata-- his rival in love-- was attempted murder,  _ especially  _ since he outright refused to tell Kira what the drug he gave her was,  _ and  _ the drug had a dramatically different effect than she’d expected.” 

Tatsumi frowned deeply. “You are obviously quite intelligent, Mr. Tsukishima. I hope it’s not inappropriate of me to say that I can see now why Saito was drawn so quickly to you. He’s somewhat of a self-declared sapiosexual. But I digress. It is clear that you are here to play ball-- otherwise you would’ve gone straight to the police. So, tell me… what can I do for you?”. 

Tsukki sat back in his chair; it was a little bit frustrating to have been seen through so quickly, but he supposed it did make the conversation easier to have in the end. “What I want is simple:”, he started, locking eyes with the dark-haired man across the desk, “I want a contractual guarantee that Saito will not go anywhere near or attempt to contact me, Hinata, or Kira ever again. He is to cease all patronage of the Daily Grind, although, as long as he lives in Miyagi, he needs to continue shopping at Hayashi-san’s bookshop. If these terms can be met, I’m sure that I can convince both my family and Kira’s family that legal action isn’t necessary. But otherwise, there’ll be no other way for me to get the guarantee that I won’t have to see the man who tried to ruin my life without the security of a restraining order.”

Tatsumi found himself chuckling lightly as he stood and crossed over to the other side of the desk. He stood directly in front of the younger man, propping himself up on the sleek black piece of furniture and crossing one ankle over the other. “Now-- you see-- again, please pardon my saying this-- but this is where Saito and I would divide. Because, as intelligent as you definitely seem to be, you are still very clearly seventeen. If I, at nearly thirty, were in your shoes, I would be looking to essentially extort the hell out of the company that man worked for. Where you, in all your blissful innocence, just want to guarantee the safety of those you care about. It’s… honestly quite endearing. So, here’s what I’m going to do for you. You said you were going somewhere else after this, yes?”. “Yes”, nodded the blonde, “To resign from my job.” “...unfortunate”, frowned Tatsumi, “But I can see why you’d see it necessary.  _ Well.  _ I’m going to write up a brief contract  _ now.  _ And then I will personally run it over to Saito’s place. After that I’ll give you a call-- here, please write your number on here”, he said, handing Tsukishima a post-it pad and a pen, “--and I’ll meet up with you with the contract. This way it’ll all get resolved tonight. Sound reasonable?”. 

Tsukki scrawled his number down quickly, but looked up at the older man with suspicion spelled out across his face. “...why are you being so accommodating?”, he asked in a tone that was not entirely pleasant. Tatsumi shrugged. “In all honesty, your instincts were correct: Saito’s actions were very,  _ very  _ bad for this company. But, believe it or not, he’s our second highest grossing author  _ in the entire company--  _ not just the Miyagi branch. So, as much of an idiot as he is, we literally cannot afford to let him go, or to have him involved in a scandal.” The blonde nodded slowly. Tatsumi took back the post-it pad and pen from him and quickly crossed the room. 

“I hope you don’t mind, Mr. Tsukishima, but I’m going to have one of my interns walk you out. I’d like to get started on this  _ immediately,  _ so that I can get back to you as soon as humanly possible.” “You don’t have to have anyone show me out”, frowned the blonde, “I can--” “Nonsense”, interrupted the dark-haired man as he pressed a button on his desk phone and leaned into it, “Miss Mikami, could you come to my office immediately please?”. Within seconds Tsukki could hear the clicking of heels on marble, and soon a young, dark-haired woman appeared in the doorway. “Yes, sir?”, she asked, trying to catch her breath without making it obvious that she was out of breath in the first place. “Please show my guest out”, Tatsumi said before turning to Tsukki, “Mr. Tsukishima, I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you very, very much for your reasonability.” “Uh… sure”, replied Tsukki, pushing himself up from the faux-leather seat and accepting the hand that had been extended to him, shaking it quickly before following the young woman out of the office, back to the elevator, and out of the building.

Once he got out to the street, he found his insides quaking as he finally admitted to himself that it seemed he  _ had  _ found an acceptable workaround to Hinata’s refusal to press charges against Saito for his deplorable actions; getting him in trouble with his job and getting an absolute guarantee that neither Hinata nor Tsukishima (nor,  _ he guessed,  _ Kira) would have to see the slimeball ever again was good enough for Kei.

 


	30. Family Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima goes to resign from his job.

It took Tsukishima a while before arrived at the bookshop, but a large part of that was admittedly because he didn’t want to go. He truly had loved his time working there, and just as Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi seemed to think of him as a member of  _ their  _ family, he could  _ easily  _ say he felt the same, looking at the two as a lovable set of grandparents who needed his help in the family shop. The idea of having to resign from a place he’d truly grown to adore was gut-wrenching, and it took every bit of courage he owned to force himself to go down to the store and actually put the conversation into motion, after having called out of work for Saturday, Sunday, and today-- Monday-- on the grounds of ‘family emergency’. 

It was with a heavy heart that the blonde trudged into the bookshop early that afternoon. He was relieved to see that it was completely empty, with the exception of his bosses-- Mrs. Hayashi on the register, and Mr. Hayashi doing some light stocking. The older woman gasped when she saw Tsukki and exclaimed, “Tsukishima-kun! Is everything alright? What happened, dear?”. “Um…”, he started, “...I need to talk to you guys.” “We’ll close the store!”, said Mr. Hayashi without a moment’s hesitation, and like that, he pulled an ‘out-to-lunch’ sign from behind the door, put it in the window, shut and locked the door, and the older couple took the young man into the small kitchen in the back of the shop, where Mr. Hayashi immediately set about making tea.

“We were so worried about you, dear!”, exclaimed Mrs. Hayashi as she shakily set out three tea cups with saucers, “When you called out, Satoshi and I, we thought ‘Oh no, something must be very wrong, this is not like Tsukishima-kun at all!’. Tell us-- what happened?”. Tsukki frowned into his empty cup. “It’s… it’s a long story”, he started. “So tell us!”, exclaimed the older woman. “So stop interrupting him and let him tell his story!”, snapped the older man to his wife, who smiled back at the younger man, “Sorry-- go ahead.” 

The blonde took a deep breath and thought about how best to consolidate his tale. “Well… Basically, I feel that I need to resign from my position here-- and I’ll explain why in a moment. So, long story short… I’m engaged. To a man. Well, one of my peers-- who happens to be a guy. We’ve been together for a year and a half and we live together, and I love him very much. He’s had a really hard life lately, which is why we moved out together and ultimately the reason why I got a job. He also wound up getting a job at a coffeeshop across town. But since I started working here, Saito-san has taken a particular interest in me. Over the weekend, it was revealed that Saito-san’s interest was less-than-chaste, in spite of his knowing about my partner. In fact, it was so  _ extremely  _ unchaste that he recruited one of my partner’s coworkers into his plot, and tried to have the coworker drug and seduce my partner, while he himself attempted to win me over. I won’t go into any further details so as not to disparage a customer, but it was not classy, and it has put me in an impossible position. I hope that it has been apparent that I have absolutely loved working here these last few months, but I cannot be forced to interact with Saito-san any further. He has proven to be dangerous, not only to my relationship, but to my partner’s safety as well. But that being the case, were I to try to continue working here while maintaining my stance that I cannot be anywhere near Saito, I know that I would be hurting the store’s profits, as he brings in quite a sizeable portion of our income.  I love this shop, and I just can’t bring myself to do anything that would hurt it. So, with that being said… I guess…”, the blonde took in a deep breath and bowed his head slightly, “I guess I just wanted to thank you both for the very generous opportunity you’ve presented me with. I really appreciated my time here and--” 

“Tsukishima”, said the older man flatly, interrupting the blonde as he spoke, “You don’t  _ really  _ think that we’re going to accept your resignation on grounds like that, do you?”. Mrs. Hayashi shook her head solemnly. “All this time, you’ve been like a third son to us… You should’ve come to us sooner. You know Satoshi and I would’ve done anything in our power to help you.” “And, honestly”, frowned Mr. Hayashi, setting his teacup down, “as nice a boost to our coffer as Saito-sama’s special orders have been, we got along just fine before he was our customer, and will continue to do so once we tell him that we can no longer accept his patronage.”

It took the blonde a long moment to process what the older couple had just said. Once he did, though, he finally raised his head, a look of total disbelief spelled out across his face. “I-- I’m sorry--  _ What?”,  _ he asked, completely shocked. “Tsukishima”, smiled Mrs. Hayashi, “We love having you around. We wish you would’ve told us that a customer was making you uncomfortable, because we would’ve put a stop to it immediately, no matter  _ who  _ it was. And, unless there’s another reason you want to leave us, that’s just what we’re going to do.” “So, what do you say”, asked the older man, “Will you take back your resignation?”. The blonde seemed to weigh his options for a moment before frowning yet again. “But, the business…”, he started, only to be cut off. “That is  _ our  _ concern”, said Mr. Hayashi, shaking his head, “And Saito-san isn’t welcome here any longer regardless. Knowing that, are you going to stay, or do you stand by your resignation?”.

Tsukki looked between the two elder shop owners for a long moment before a smile finally broke out on his face. “I-- I’ll stay”, he grinned,  _ “...thank you.”  _ “No need to thank us”, smiled the older woman, “We should be thanking  _ you.  _ You make our life so much easier, and there’s not a day that goes by that we’re not grateful that we finally decided to hire some outside help.” Mr. Hayashi smiled and pushed himself up from the table, “Now, you take the next few days off, you hear? You can resume your shift on Friday.” “Are you sure?”, the blonde asked as the older man started clearing off the table. The older man laughed and shook his head.  _ “Yes,  _ Tsukishima-kun, I am  _ sure.  _ Now-- get out of here. Go home, spend time with your beloved. Enjoy the time you have together.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's pretty short, but I felt that it was the best way to divide what I had up :)  
> Such supportive bosses!
> 
> Next chapter tomorrow!  
> 3 Chapters left!


	31. Guilty Pleasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima meets back up with Saito's editor.

Tsukishima Kei was in total belief as he walked aimlessly through town. He’d set out that morning with the hopes of being able to try to get some sort of assurance that he’d never have to see Saito again, between what he was sure would turn out to be a half-hearted attempt at blackmailing Saito’s editor and his resignation from his job. He’d managed to do so much more than what he ever hoped to do. He still couldn’t believe that Tatsumi was more than willing to work with him. Now all he had to do was wait for the editor’s call…

Tsukki decided to call and check in on check in on Hinata while he roamed the streets of Sendai. The phone rang twice before the redhead picked up. “Hello?” “Hey”, grinned the blonde, “How’s it going?”. “Good!”, exclaimed Hinata, “Kenma and Kuroo and me are getting lunch! What are you doing?”. “I’m still running errands”, shrugged Kei, “I just stopped by work to resign so I wouldn’t have to see Saito again and-- well-- Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi declined my resignation and told me they were gonna ban Saito from the store.” “Kei!!! That’s amazing!!!” “Yeah”, grinned the blonde. He was about to ask Hinata where the group was eating when a sudden beep alerted Tsukishima that he had a call waiting, and a glance at the phone confirmed that it was a number he was unfamiliar with. “...Well, I have a few more things I have to get done, so I’ll give you a call when I’m finished, okay?”, said Kei abruptly. “O- oh, okay! I’ll talk to you later, then. I love you!” “I love you too”, replied Tsukishima before quickly switching to the new incoming call.

“Hello?”, he asked. “Hello, Tsukishima? It’s Tatsumi”, came the voice from the other end, “I’ve just finished with Saito. Where can I meet you?”. The blonde looked around briefly before replying, “I’m near the arcade… is that okay?”. Tatsumi chuckled, and then replied, “The arcade? Sure. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. See you then.” As Tsukki attempted to reply, “Okay, see you soon”, or something to that effect, the line went dead. The blonde stared at his phone for a long moment before shrugging it off and quickly crossing the street to the arcade.

 

It wasn’t long before Tatsumi sought the tall blonde out as he anxiously played on an old-fashioned pinball machine. His choice in entertainment was not a thoughtless one; he’d decided that, if he had paperwork that he was supposed to sign, a pinball machine was the only logical place to do so, as it was the only flat surface around. Tatsumi stood back until the last of Tsukki’s balls fell into the gutter, at which point he stepped forward.

“I have some good news for you, Mr. Tsukishima”, grinned Tatsumi as he began digging through his briefcase, “I wrote up the contract and changed a few of the things that we discussed to things that I felt would be in the best interest of the company. After explaining the situation in great detail to Saito, he came to the logical conclusion that he had no recourse _but_ to sign this contract. So”-- Tatsumi set three pages out side by side on the pinball machine-- “upon receiving your signature and that of our notary back at the company, this contract will become legally binding. I encourage you to take your time and read it over, but essentially it states that, one, Mr. Saito Takeshi will permanently cease all contact with yourself, Mr. Hinata Shōyō, and Ms. Matsuki Kira. This shall include the discontinuation of his patronage of the Matsuki family business, The Daily Grind. Two--” “How’d you find out all of our names?”, Tsukki interrupted, slightly mystified as he skimmed the legalese while Tatsumi spoke. The older man couldn’t help but smile. “Admittedly, I had to bring my laptop and have Saito fill me in on the names of the other two. Anyway-- continuing on-- it also states that, Two, Mr. Saito shall continue to utilize the Towne Bookstore as his main book importer for as long as he lives in Sendai, or unless otherwise requested by yourself or the owners of the shop. Three--” “Oh”, interrupted Kei again, looking somewhat bashful as he did so, “Um-- I guess it’s good that you added that addendum, as, uh, I spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi today--” “To resign?”, asked Tatsumi,  who had clearly mastered the art of exhibiting more patience than he naturally owned. Tsukishima looked up and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, that was initially my intention when I went there”, he said, “but after I explained the situation, they declined my resignation and said that they’d instead ask Saito not to shop at their store anymore.” Tatsumi glanced at the papers, took a moment to keep himself composed, and replied, “I see. Alright, well, that’s fine. The necessary provisions are in there to ensure that all parties are comfortable with the arrangement. I’ll just have to update Mr. Saito. The third thing of note, and I think that this is the one that you will find most interesting, Mr. Tsukishima, is that both Miyagi Prefecture Publishing House and Mr. Saito Takeshi have generously agreed to give you 1.5% of the profits from his book sales for the duration of his contract with our company, which _is_ set to last for another eight years still. Now, I _will_ remind you that we are not giving you these things for free; by signing this contract, you are waiving your right to sue Mr. Saito for any alleged misconduct of any kind, and you are agreeing to ensure the same of all of your associates. If a suit is filed at any point in time, Mr. Saito and MPPH can file a countersuit against you for breach of contract. There’s also a clause in there that states that none of the three of you or your families can speak to the media of what happened, as that wouldn’t reflect positively upon Mr. Saito’s character. Of course, I’ve drawn up some simpler contracts for Mr. Hinata and Ms. Matsuki, but I can give them to you to get signed if you’d rather handle that on your own, so long as you return all of them to me as soon as possible. If you can agree to these terms, please sign on the lines indicated.”

Again Kei was blown away. He made sure to read the contract over fully, reading for himself that everything that Tatsumi was saying was true, before turning to the older man. “...I’m sorry, I’m still afraid I don’t understand. Why are you helping me like this?”, he asked, frowning so hard a crease formed in his forehead. Tatsumi, on the other hand, laughed out loud. “Tsukishima!”, he laughed, “Speaking frankly here… If only you knew what I went through to try to convince Saito not to try to pursue you! I mean, like it or not, he and I _are_ friends. He does some _terrible_ things that continuously put me in just, _the worst_ positions, but at the end of the day things usually work out for him. I won’t lie and tell you that I’m not taking some degree of delight in the fact that he’s actually facing punishment for his behavior for the first time in years-- even if that punishment is just the sting of rejection and a 1.5% pay cut. I assure you, though, that my actions reflect only the best interests of the company, no matter how much a part of me is relishing his misery.”

Tsukishima skimmed through the document one more time and, feeling satisfied that there were no hidden clauses that condemned him in any way, signed the paperwork. Tatsumi grabbed the small stack of papers from him before sliding a new packet in its place. “Just a few more copies… you know, one for you, one for me, one for our company notary, one for corporate, one for Saito-- bureaucracy,  am I right?”.

 

The blonde felt his hand cramping up as he walked out of the arcade nearly ten minutes later, three copies of the contract folded into thirds and tucked into his back pocket.

“Well, Mr. Tsukishima, it was a pleasure doing business with you”, smiled Tatsumi as he vigorously shook the blonde’s hand, “Are you _sure_ I can’t offer you a ride home?”. “No offense, but the last time I got a ride anywhere from a fancy car like that, someone tried to get me drunk and convince me to leave my boyfriend so-- honestly-- I’m good.” “Fair enough”, laughed Tatsumi, “So, just give me a call when you have Ms. Matsuki and Mr. Hinata sign those other two agreements, and I’ll have someone swing by to pick them up, alright?”. Tsukki nodded. “Take care of yourself, Mr. Tsukishima!” “You too”, nodded the blonde, and soon the older man was gone, and Kei was left feeling all sorts of emotions as he set off in the direction of The Daily Grind.

 

Tsukishima Kei felt intensely uncomfortable as he walked into the coffee shop his boyfriend had recently resigned from early that afternoon. Kei found himself musing that his reason to be in the shop that day was nearly as good as Hinata’s was to have left, though this thought proved to be quite fleeting when his eyes met with those of one of the workers there, Kaii.

“What are _you_ doing here?”, spat the young man who he’d almost brawled with several days prior. The blonde reached into his back pocket and pulled out the three folded documents and quickly began flipping through them until he found the one he’d earmarked for this particular location. “Is Kira in?”, Tsukishima asked casually, as if neither the man he was speaking to nor the woman he was inquiring about had been complicit in the plot that involved attempting to steal his boyfriend. _“Why?”,_ Kaii asked, his aggressive tone mounting. “I have something for her to sign”, Kei said casually, “which will bar Saito from ever contacting any of us again. It just needs to be signed by all three of us or it’ll be invalid.” “And why should we do anything for you?!”, the older man growled. Tsukishima casually laid the paper on the counter and pulled a pen out of his pocket, clicking it so that it was ready to write with. Looking up and smiling pleasantly at the man who was little more than a junkyard dog who knew how to operate an espresso machine, he cooed, _“Because I can still press charges against the two of you myself.”_

Kaii seemed to consider this for a second before snorting and storming off into the back of the shop, reappearing moments later with Kira in tow. “...and I asked him why we should do anything for him, and the jerkoff said _‘because he can press charges against the two of us’_ . Isn’t that rich?” _“Kaii!”._

Kira approached the counter and offered Tsukishima an embarrassed half-smile. “Uh- hey”, she said, struggling to maintain eye contact with the taller man. “Hi there”, the blonde replied, doing his best to stay upbeat despite the circumstance, “I’m just gonna cut to the chase. I got Saito’s employer to draw up contracts that prevent him from contacting any of us ever again. We just forfeit the right to sue him and we can’t talk about what happened. But, since Shōyō and I aren’t pressing charges against _you guys_ , I think this is fair and all works out in the end. Agreed?”. Kira bit her lip and nodded. “...Where do I sign?”, she asked. Kei pointed to the line she was supposed to sign on and, without reading the contract at all, the young woman signed it.

Kei took the paperwork back and, smiled, “Thanks! I’m gonna send this back to Saito’s editor, who’s gonna get it notarized and make copies and send one to all of us. But, as I’m sure you saw, Saito already signed it, so you’re pretty much never gonna see him again.” Kira nodded meekly. After a moment, she asked quietly, “Um… does this mean… that you and Hinata aren’t planning on pressing charges at _all?”._ Tsukki nodded. “Right! Since you signed this, it’s basically an agreement that we’re all gonna leave each other alone. None of us are going after him, we’re not going after you guys… we just want to live our lives in peace. That’s all.” Kira’s affect seemed to brighten up a little, but as Kei bid the brother and sister goodbye and turned to leave, she called after him, “Oh! Um-- I know this probably isn’t what either of you want to hear right now, but… Can you… Can…”. The blonde turned back and was surprised to see that the young woman’s eyes were filling up with tears. “...Can you just… tell Hinata that I’m really sorry? And I hope that you two have a really good life together. I’m sorry I tried to between your happiness.” Tsukishima seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding, “Thanks. That means a lot. Best of luck to you guys, too.”

And with that, he was finally headed home.  
  
  
  



	32. "Normal"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima tells Hinata all about the 'errands' he had to run.

“UWAHHH, KEI, YOU DID WHAT?!?!?!?!”

“Well, I mean, since you weren’t willing to press charges, I figured--”

“THAT’S AMAZING!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID THIS!!!”

“Really? I thought you’d be mad--”

“MAD?!?!?! WE NEVER HAVE TO SEE SAITO AGAIN _AND_ WE’RE GETTING PAID FOR IT?!?!?!”

“Well, you don’t really know how much 1.5% is gonna come out to be and--”

“KEI, THEY SAID HE’S THEIR SECOND BIGGEST AUTHOR!!! ITS GOTTA BE A LOT!!!”

 

Tsukishima Kei grinned at his energetic boyfriend as the two walked back from the train station that evening. He had to admit, he was _quite_ surprised by Hinata’s reaction to his news, to say the least. He expected Hinata to be annoyed with him, if not outright mad0 that Tsukki had gone behind his back to find a way to punish Saito for his deplorable actions, but instead Hinata was beyond excited that Kei had found a way to ensure that Saito felt the backlash of his decisions _without_ legal repercussions. To Hinata, it had been a win/win. Once they got home, the redhead immediately signed his version of the contract and Tsukishima quickly texted Tatsumi letting him know that they would be available for pick up whenever he wanted them.

“I still can’t believe you told Kuroo that they could only stay while you were out”, frowned Hinata as he threw himself on the couch. Tsukki looked up from the fridge, where he’d just grabbed a bottle of water. _“What?”,_ the blonde asked, “What are you _talking_ about?”. As Hinata scooted over to make more room for the blonde on the couch, he frowned, “Kuroo told me right before you came home that they had to get going, because you told him that he had to leave when you got back.” Tsukki seemed to think this over for a minute before sighing and shaking his head. “Why do you _ever_ believe _anything_ that idiot tells you? ...he and Kenma were passing through Miyagi on their way to go see relatives of Kenma’s, and _Kuroo_ messaged _me_ to see if he could surprise Kenma with a visit to you. But they still were expected at Kenma’s family’s place today, so they knew they had to leave late this afternoon. ...I can’t believe him. And he _wonders_ why I don’t like him…”. “You _do_ like him”, grinned Hinata, “You just have to be tsundere about it”. Kei shot his boyfriend a glare though, instead of responding with a snarky remark, he fell silent and thought for several moments.

Turning to Hinata, the blonde frowned and asked, “Shōyō… I know you’ve had a really long week, but… are you willing to have a somewhat serious conversation?”. Hinata raised an eyebrow but nodded. Kei adjusted his posture on the couch so that he was facing the man he loved and, trying hard not to frown too much, started, “We really need to talk about everything that happened with my dad. I really--” “Kei, let me stop you right there”, said Hinata, placing his hand on the blonde’s thigh. He took a deep breath in before finally continuing, “I’m really, really sorry. It took me a while to realize that what you said was right. I _was_ just trying to fix your relationship with your dad because of the state of my own relationship with _my_ dad. It wasn’t fair to you. On top of that, you specifically _asked_ me not to interfere, and I thought I knew better than you did. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. You don’t even have to ask-- I promise that it will never happen again. If you choose to have a relationship with your dad, I’ll support you, but if you don’t, that’s okay, too.”

“Actually”, started the blonde, frowning, “...while we were in the hospital, I had a lengthy conversation with Akiteru-- against my will, mostly-- but… while my mind’s not made up at _all,_ I will say that I’m more open to the idea of talking to my father’s children than I had been. I mean-- I never want to speak to _him_ or his mistress again, but… Akiteru _did_ give me some food for thought. That’s all I’ll say.”

Hinata sat and thought on this for a moment before lunging across the couch and hugging the blonde. “What’s this for?”, grinned the taller man as he adjusted himself to accommodate the unexpected display of affection. “I’m just… proud of you”, smiled Hinata as he nuzzled his head into Kei’s shoulder, “You’ve come a really long way.” “Don’t go getting _too_ proud now”, laughed the blonde as he leaned down and kissed Hinata on the head, “I really haven’t done anything yet.”

The two sat there cuddling on the couch for a long while, just enjoying each other’s company, before Hinata finally broke the silence. “So… do you think we’re finally getting back to normal?”, he asked, lowering his head on Tsukki’s chest so that he didn’t have to make eye contact with the blonde. “‘Back to normal’?”, Kei repeated, “What do you mean?”. Hinata shrugged, “I dunno. We were fighting for a long time there. I felt like we were constantly on the verge of a break up. I feel like you were even starting to…”. Tsukki’s posture stiffened and, looking down at the redhead, he frowned, _“Say it”._ “...I just… I dunno, I felt like you were starting to look for a replacement for me.”

At this, the blonde rolled his eyes and laughed, “Hinata Shōyō, you idiot. We talked about this the other night. You’re the only one for me.” “I know”, the smaller man grinned out of embarrassment, “But I was worried for a while there. But now… well, now it seems like we’re getting back to normal, doesn’t it?”.

Kei looked down at Hinata, and was almost startled by the glowing amber orbs that were earnestly staring back up at him, filled with hope and searching his eyes for an answer. Each time he looked at Shōyō, his heart felt as if it were overflowing. He _knew_ that he loved this man, deep into the very depths of his soul. His life could not be complete without him, and there was not another person who had ever existed who could make him feel so whole.

Leaning down, bending so close to the redhead that their lips were mere millimeters apart, the blonde whispered breathlessly, “I don’t know… you tell me.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eeeeeeeee things are finally back to normal for our precious babies!
> 
> But wait!  
> This isn't the final chapter!  
> What else could there possibly be...?  
> (Tears. That's what there could be.)
> 
> (happy tears)


	33. Epilogue

Dear Dad,

It’s been nearly three months since I last heard from you or Mom. I just wanted to let you know that, in spite of your very best efforts to prevent it, I am happy.

Kei and I moved out on our own in the middle of June, into a lovely apartment that’s not even ten minutes away from the Tsukishima family home. Kei found a job that he loves working for our local bookstore, and they treat him like family. They even have us over for dinner a couple of times a month! I also got a job. It was at a coffee shop, but it didn’t really work out. In the end, Kei told me to quit, since he is making more than enough money to support us. Well, that AND he wants me to focus on volleyball! It turns out, not everybody gets married for money or stability after all-- some people get married for love, and when you love someone you want to help them achieve their dreams, which is what Kei is doing for me!

Oh, and speaking of marriage… Kei proposed to me! I said yes, of course, but we’re taking everything a day at a time. Right now we’re not planning on getting married until after college, but that’s a whole _five years_ away. I don’t know that I can wait that long! I might just kidnap him and elope one day! Ha ha! Maybe by then you and Mom will have warmed up to the idea that your son is gay. Maybe not. Who knows? Five years is a long time.

You also have your first grandchild! Well, I guess I should say grand-furbaby, since it’s a cat, ha ha! Kei gave me a tiny black kitten on my birthday, and he’s grown up to be HUGE already! I named him ‘Little Giant’, after my favorite volleyball player ever, but Kei’s just been calling him ‘Giant’ around the house. :( Well, it’s okay. I love my baby no matter what. Even if he’s the world’s biggest cat! (Or if he brings a boy cat home! Ha ha! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

The truth is that I miss you guys. It really broke my heart when I found out that you all moved away without telling me. I found an old birthday card from Grammy in my stuff, which is how I found her address to send you this, but without it, my whole family would’ve disappeared, and I would’ve had to start from scratch, all because I fell in love… I don’t know if that sounds crazy to you, but it sounds completely insane to me!

I really miss our house. I wish you guys lived there and I could still visit. I miss Mom’s cooking. I’d even eat her meatloaf if it meant I could just be at a table with you three. I miss the way she sang when she did chores, and the way the house smelled on laundry day. I miss getting to spend time with you and getting your advice whenever something was bothering me at school. I really, really miss Natsu. Sometimes my eyes tear up when I’m in public and I see a little girl who looks like she’s her age. I hope that she knows that her big brother misses her and loves her, and would do (almost) anything to see her again.

If the day comes when you guys decide that you can accept me for who I am, I’ll be waiting. I still love you all, even though you and Mom hurt me and Kei a lot. I know that it was a big surprise, and that wasn’t exactly how I was planning on coming out. But I’ve been gay forever. It’s who I am, and it’s not something I can change. I’m just grateful to have found someone who loves me as truly and sincerely as Kei does, and who would do literally anything to make me happy.

I love you, Dad. Please give my regards to Mom and Natsu and Grammy and anyone else you can think of.

I hope I hear from you one day.

Love Always,  
Your Son,

Hinata Shōyō

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> __  
> ~~I'm not crying you're crying.~~  
>   
> 
> That's it! This marks the end of an era for me! Perihelion is done, and with it, my beloved Love Amidst the Stars!  
> I mean I may write one shots and post them in here but that's neither here nor there
> 
> HOWEVER.  
> I've got a few projects that I'm working on/that I will be working on.
> 
> [OVER HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15532182/chapters/36055398) you can check out the TsukiHina AU fic I'm collaborating on with one of my best friends ever, SodomyandCocktails!  
> and  
> [OVER HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15542103/chapters/36079812) you can check out my new KuroKen fic, titled 'See Me'.  
> I'm also working on another large-scale TsukiHina project (that isn't ready yet >_> ), but if you're interested in that you can just [keep an eye on my tumblr](http://missicle.tumblr.com).
> 
>  
> 
> And then, feel free to subscribe to me on here or whatever because after my KuroKen I'll be working on the DaiSuga I am SOOOO looking forward to. As always, thank you all for your love and your support, and I hope to see you in the future on other works <3


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